Post by imaginarium on Mar 6, 2022 17:17:03 GMT
The sun draped low across the sky, signs of early morning, leaving a trail of burnt reds and oranges amidst rich blues in the upper atmosphere of Tatiana I, the planet designated and commonly known as the “Tatiana Interplanetary Economic and Research Zone” (TIERZ for short). It cast long shadows over the hillsides, woodland and the modernist Dacha that adorned the landscape, some 300km away from the TIERZ city that was gradually being built and developed here on the planet surface.
Here, away from the busy construction of the city site, the Dacha, known currently as “TD1” offered quiet solace for the collection of military and government figures from the Socialist Republics who currently occupied it, ahead of what would be an important meeting between an strong ally, and a new trade partner: The Jade Empire of Ingen, and the Furrelian Union.
Built in the typical block Socialist Modernist style of the Republics, TD1 looked more like a spaceship that had landed in the surroundings than a residential retreat, built for the governing parties of the planet, but it was a perfect, quiet place for the discussions that were to come. The General, dressed in the sleek black dress uniform of the infantry watched as a party of 2 men and 1 woman, dressed in similar attire, (albeit apart from an emblem across the shoulder pads, a sword and shield, designating them as part of the “Komitet”, the state intelligence branch of the armed forces), crossed the balcony towards him. They stopped, saluting the rank of the man, before the woman spoke.
“General Zoric. They are on their way. We should make our way to the platform…”
“Thank you Commander Borisovna.” He motioned with his arm to begin the walk down the flight of stairs next to the balcony, which led down to the platform.
“Is everything prepared?”
“I believe so Comrade General. Each party will bring a small contingency, no more than 5. We will use the dining space on the ground floor to conduct the meeting. Food will be laid on throughout the meeting, providing refreshments throughout, however we will break for meals should it be necessary, and upon your commands as the mediator of the conversation.” She looked at the data pad she carried in her right hand.
“We have allocated the east wing rooms for the Jade Empire, west for the Furrelian Union, should this meeting go long. We have a 20 men running security on the house, a further 30 on guard on the perimeter and skies, although our intelligence suggests no threat to the procedures. We expect the Jade Empire to arrive first, or so is our desire. We wish for the parties to meet within the dining space firstly, rather than any awkward encounter on the platform.”
A sverkhu class shuttle, originally manufactured in Imaginarium, dove down through the atmosphere from a cruiser above. Painted in brilliant white, with curling dragon imagery picked out in bottle-green, it was unarmed and roared to a neat stop over the landing platform before settling down with the hiss of hydraulics.
The moment he spotted the general, a natural-seeming smile lit up his face, the perfect diplomat. He had not had much business with the Republic of Imaginarium, but he shared the opinion of many Jade bureaucrats; they were graceless bumpkins with strange economic views and splendid music, they were reliable allies and most importantly, too cheerful, or simple, to take offense at sneering Imperials. He offered a polite bow.
“Thank you Chien-Po Hao.” the General said, politely bowing in return, as per the tradition “My name is General Marko Zoric of the Republican Ground Forces.”
The General himself was a average sized man, his black uniform clinging to him in a snug fashion, the ceremonial golden chains of the highest rank of military adorned his right shoulder, draped from a clip within the centre. Upon the left of his chest, the minimalised medals and decorations showing him to be both of a high rank, and of experience in the field. Upon his head, a hat with a red star, which sat neatly upon a scraggle of salt and pepper hair, an elongated beard in the same colours protruding down from his chin, sitting just above the neat buttoned up collar of the uniform.
His eyes were sunken, and the crows feet at their side, combined with the deep lines in his face put him in his late 40s or early 50s. ‘The Jade Empire do so love their status of wealth’ thought Zoric, as he cast an eye over the girth of the man. Like Chien-Po Hao Zoric had had little to do with Ingen, save for the few joint exercises between militaries during his early career, but he had always viewed the alliance between nations as peculiar.
“It is an honour to have your presence amongst us sir. Please, my colleague Commander Borisovna will show you to your meeting space and outline our intentions for the day.” Motioning to Borisovna, the smaller woman next to him, he led the Ingen party away to the meeting space, inside the building.
Only shortly after the Ingenious shuttle had arrived, a Furrelian shuttle departed from the Furrelian cruiser which had just arrived from Sallag, the Capital system in Ancerious for the Union. It ripped through the atmosphere, staying in close contact with the TIERZ's Space Traffic Control as it made its descend towards the area where the negotiations would take place. A Forwarding Class, it was nothing special, a slightly modified version of the standard Furrelian Attrition Class for VIP Transport. Coloured in the basic Furrelian colour scheme of grey with a green stripe, its only major difference was that it had an additional set of white stripes, showing that it was a diplomatic transport. As it made its final approach, it made an announcement towards TD1's landing platform.
"This is the FDTS 'Destinator of the Future', shuttle in service of the FDS 'Fiseda'. On final approach towards TD1, coming in from the East, our destination is the western platform as per the invitation. Expecting to be there within five minutes." rang over the comms, as it approached the Dacha. It shortly afterwards landed, mechanical sounds ringing from the shuttle as it pressed down onto the surface and the engine shut off. Shortly afterwards, the door opened, and four men walked out. Among them was the diplomat, Dinumeda, the Furrelian Head for Foreign Affairs, at least within the Ancerious sector. His firm and strict eyes observed the landing spot for anyone he could talk to. He was together with an attaché to Imaginarium. Both Dinumeda and the attaché wore the same kind of clothes, the Grey-Green shirt and blouse of the Furrelian government. The other two men were security guards, dressed in a darker Green with more Furrelian emblems spread across the Uniform.
“Minister Dinumeda, welcome to TIERZ. I hope that your journey has been a pleasant one. I am General Marko Zoric of the Republican Ground Forces.” The general said, speaking with a calm tone, as he bowed at the Furrelian diplomats. He motioned to the concrete stairwell that wound up and away from the platform and towards the Dacha itself.
They walked with a steady pace, exchanging small talk as the approached the house. Inside, the new construction of the building was plain to see, with décor and furnishings limited throughout the house. Some art work adorned the walls of the corridors as the party walked through; a mixture of modernist pieces, and some older revolutionary realistic pieces Imaginarium’s past. Every 10 or so metres within the house, the party came across a guard, stood in similar dress attire, either patrolling the floor, or standing to attention.
For the Furrelians, the General walked with them until reaching a large double door, which he promptly opened to reveal a sitting room, laid out with an urn of tea, some pastries, and a large mounted screen displaying the latest news from “Imaginarium 24”.
---- Some time later ----
Both parties were left to their own devices, with a guard posted outside each room for roughly 20 minutes, as the hosts made their final preparations for the meeting space. Finally, at roughly the same time, a knock could be heard on each door, and both parties were welcomed into the meeting space: a large, dining hall like room. The elongated table that ran the length of the room prepared for each party to sit opposite each other. More food was arranged around the room for the guests, and at the end of the table, a tall backed chair, at which the General stood.
“Our hopes for the coming hours, nay even possibly days, is that this maybe an open forum for discussion between two parties who have come to increased tensions. For my part, I will sit as mediator. Whilst I will take a back seat as you discuss a plan, it will be my role to keep the meeting on track. My hope, my friends, is that we leave this place with a plan in place that all sides will find agreeable. Please…comrades from the Jade Empire. Would you begin by outlining what you wish to achieve here today?”
Chien-Po bowed and then lowered his generous frame onto a chair. "Thank you General Zoric, and my thanks to the Republic for hosting this meeting." he began, shifting his bulk on the seat as his harassed-looking aide poured him a glass of water and brought him a bowl of nuts and dried fruit from the repast laid on by their hosts. Before speaking, he took a sip of water and then offered a polite smile to the Furrelian party.
"I would like to begin these talks by commending the Furrelian Union on the bravery of its officers. Captain Karo of the IJN Volley Of Arrows tells me that Captain Omedema fought admirably and has behaved like a perfect gentleman during his stay aboard her vessel."
His expression took a more serious note as he continued.
"That said, we recognise that a series of unfortunate misunderstandings have soured dealings between our two nations. The Jade Empire wishes to address and resolve these misunderstandings before the situation deteriorates and leads to further unnecessary and tragic loss of life. We believe that a productive future is possible for the Empire and the Union."
"I likewise extend my thanks towards the Republic too. It is great to see that we can solve issues diplomatically, instead of military-wise." Dinumeda began, his deeper voice going around the room with a thick Sylenti accent. He watched Chien-Po send a smile his way, a gesture he repeated towards the Ingenious party. He took a sip of water too, and then responded.
"The Furrelian Union feels the same way. I am sure that I speak for all of us if I say that we need to avoid a war. The Furrelian economy is collapsing into itself, and I am sure the Jade one is too. Natar is to thank for that. The Ancerium collapse has been disastrous, but I am sure that we, as Tuvian Arm nations, could profit from each other. The Empire and the Union should re-open trade, and that is the first point in the Furrelian Requests. For Ingen and the Furrelians to set aside their differences to come through this crisis together. Only then we can profit. Of course, I do feel like it's a bit cliché to instantly focus on diplomacy, so if Ingen has requests, I am open to negotiate those first."
Chien-Po raised an eyebrow just a fraction before adopting a suitably sympathetic expression.
"We are sorry to hear of your economic plight. The Jade Empire is of course open to the concept of renewed trade between our nations." He paused a moment, taking a sip of water and smacking his lips appreciatively.
"We regret the misunderstanding over the FDS Dilinam and will happily return the crew and officers of that ship. We hope to see the resumption of tariff-free ancerium trade between the Union and the Empire, and would also like to suggest cooperation on mutual access to ship registration databases, to prevent any unfortunate confusions in future. This will enable Jade warships to ensure the safety of Furrelian vessels in our territory, and vice versa."
His ring-laden hand scooped up a handful from the bowl and he popped some cashews and dried raisins into his mouth, chewing with a contemplative expression.
"You're not. Stop lying you sack of fat." Dinemeda mumbled in Sylenti, his native language as he watched Chien-Po take a hand of raisins. He changed mood a few seconds later to respond in galactic common. "Of course. That should be arranged, as is only logical. The FDS Dilinam Orezant and its crew will be returned to the Furrelian Union, as it should be. The tariff-free trade should start as well, though it might become difficult due to Union of World Ancerium Sanctions." Dinemeda took a sip of his water. "Will the mutual access to SRDBs be extended to the Katharian Protectorate? It is in the Furrelian interest to repair the economy of the Protectorate - As the Dominion put its economic interests somewhere other than long-term sustainibility. I need to talk about the Protectorate and the former dominion with you later."
Chien-Po waved a hand dismissively. "We have no interest in the former Dominion. They unleashed a hideous monstrosity upon themselves and we consider their worlds anathema. If they wish to trade with us it can be done through the Furrelian Union. As for the Dilinam," he spread his hands as if to say 'what can you do', "the ship itself is considered a prize of war by the Kokubusho. It has yet to be formally appraised but I am certain it will not be pressed into Jade service, so perhaps you may be interested in purchasing it once it is cleared for sale."
"Fair. The Dominion was cursed from the start anyway. However, once the economy of the Katharian state returns to being self-sufficient, I would like to ask the Jade board of Trade to reconsider it." Dinemeda responded. He kept a neutral face while hearing how Ingen was trying to sell a Furrelian ship back to the Furrelian union, but behind his calm and seemingly open face he was fuming. If not for the fact that if he screwed it over, a war could happen, he would've insulted the fat Yokari ten times over. Yet, he was a diplomat, so he remained 'calm' while talking. In a slightly faster and certainly louder voice, he returned. "The FDS Dilinam Orezant, registration number KF-4385803C, is and will not be Jade property, ever. It is a ship in service of the Furrelian Union, and Ingen must realise that the Furrelian union will not give its property, ESPECIALLY its warships and anything related to the defence of the Union, to anyone else, and is prepared to use force to reclaim it, if needed. However, as we are here on friendly terms..." He said friendly as how one would talk about a disease, smearing it across the sentence. "The Furrelian Defence Service will request that Ingen reconsiders this as well. However, it will not buy back one of its own ships, and it does not want Ingen or the 'Kokubusho' to look into its database or its technologies. Understand that. You have caused enough pain in Marchand with your own technology, and I speak for the entire Furrelian race when I say I do not want you using our technology to unleash a genocide upon the Marchanders."
Chien-Po raised an eyebrow at the mention of the use of force, but kept an even expression.
"I am afraid it is quite too late for that, my friend. Imperial engineers have been poring over the Dilinam for days now. The ship is, by all common custom, property of the Jade Empire as a prize of war and if you do not want to buy it back I am sure we will find interested parties elsewhere."
He paused as if weighing something up in his mind, then continued.
"I would recommend against threatening the use of force again, Mr Dinemeda. That is how you came to lose possession of the ship in the first place, and it does not bode well for our future relationship that war sits so uneasily near the surface of your thoughts."
“Gentlemen, please.” Zoric spoke, softly, bouncing his head from side to side as he looked to both sides of the table. “You came here in good faith, and with intentions on avoiding conflict. Let us keep this at the forefront of our minds as we discuss proposals.” He took a sip from his water, before continuing before anyone could interject.
“Now, Comrade Dinumeda. The FDS Dilinam Orezant was surrendered to the Jade Empire following the ‘incident’, and I do not believe that the Furrelian Union would be as naive to believe that it would not use it’s time with the vessel to study it. I certainly do not believe that the Furrelian Union would not do so if the reverse were to have occurred…and I do not believe this to be a condemnable action. The terms of surrender were honoured, by BOTH parties. I would also request that if we are to avoid hostilities, we do not throw flammable language around at this table.”
He turned towards the Ingen contingent.
“Equally, Comrade Chien-Po. I appreciate that the FDS Dilinan Orezant was surrendered into the hands of the Jade Empire, but you too must see the audacious nature of asking the Furrelian Union to buy their own vessel back. Negotiations are however a concession between two parties. If the Furrelian comrades wish for aid in the economic rebuilding of the Katharian Protectorate, and wish for the return of the FDS Dilinan Orezant, it stands to reason that there should be a mutually beneficial cost to this…whether that be monetary or an alternative provision that is acceptable to the Jade Empire.”
Again, Zoric took a sip from his water, finishing the glass.
“If the Furrelian Union would see the act of ‘purchasing’ the FDS Dilinan Orezant as diplomatically unacceptable, perhaps it would be best if you would name terms that would be acceptable, in exchange for your desired outcome…Comrade Dinumeda”
Dinemeda listened carefully to what both Chien-Po and Zoric said, observing their sentences before responding. While he had made a mistake by mentioning force, he was not going to ruin the negotiations due to a fault. After Zoric's question arrived, rather than instantly responding, Dinemeda adapted his way of questioning, and waited for a moment. In his mind, he was calling the Yokari racial slurs, he held no respect for the former ally of the Gauss. Dinemeda was a Furrelian nationalist after all. For Zoric it was different. While not at the best terms, Imaginarium and the Union were working together at TIERZ, the exact same place where he was now. He realised one thing though, he had a trick up his sleeve. Dinemeda, before being sent to TIERZ had studied the relations between Ingen and the Furrelian union all the way to the start, Fair Sakura in Tychana. No files regarding the massacre had been shared with Ingen yet, a tool in favour of Dinemeda. He took a sip from his own water, again mumbling a slur in Sylenti before continuing.
"The purchase of the FDS Dilinam Orezant by Furrelian forces will not be accepted. It will not happen, but the Furrelian Union is willing to share all files regarding the Fair Sakura Incident of 2234 with Ingen in exchange of the FDS Dilinam Orezant and its crew."
Chien-Po squinted. Unless the files told a different story than the official one, then they were of no value. If they did reveal some grand secret, however, then it would be against the Union's interests to release them to the Jade Empire. He sensed that Dinemeda was simply trying to tantalise him, and that the files when received would prove to be relatively mundane.
"Those files are unfortunately worth little to us. However, we would be interested in a resumption in the tariff-free Ancerium trade between our nations. Perhaps a removal of any government tariffs on exports of Ancerium to the Jade Empire, up to the value of say 10,000 SIGEC per annum?"
"That should be doable, ten-thousand SIGEC seems sufficient enough, though it makes sense to reduce that to five-thousand SIGEC once ten Hualtes have passed." Dinemeda responded. He was dissapointed Chien-Po didn't fall for his trick, as the files were indeed as good as useless, only releasing more dialogue before the attack and during interrogation which Ingen couldn't have known of. He was about to take a sip of water, when one of the Furrelian guards which he had brought with him into the room notified Dinemeda of a message, directly wired to Dinemeda, having arrived from Sallag. Dinemeda grabbed the tablet with the message and read it. After a minute or two of silence, the Furrelian put the tablet down, this time showing a concerned face. He turned back to the Furrelian soldier, said a few sentences in Sylenti, and then turned to the two other diplomats. As he talked, the two Furrelian guards left the room.
"I am afraid the meeting has been cut short; We need to get through the final few points quickly, then I must return to Sallag. A galactic crisis is underway." Dinemeda said, trying to sound calm but actually being distressed, a small amount of fear being in his voice.
"The three other points the Furrelian Union wants to discuss are guarantees that both nations will stay out of eachother's national politics and affairs, a joint Jade-Furrelian anti-piracy force in the Tuvian arm, and promises that there will be no war between our nations."
He stood, gesturing for Dinemeda to be at ease.
"As for the joint piracy force, I cannot suborn IJN assets to foreign oversight, but I am certain that fleet command would be willing to share data on reported pirate activity, to allow both nations to better combat piracy in the area."
Zoric sat forward in his seat.
“We would be willing to safeguard such benefits, if it means that your parties leave here today with a formalised peace.” He said, nodding towards Chien-Po. He continued: “We would also be willing to facilitate the transfer of data. Ensure that the data itself does not become “weaponised” in the event of a break in the peace between our nations?”
Dinemeda looked at the two other diplomats. It seemed like they had come to a natural conclusion, but still, the final three points were rushed. Idealy, Denemeda would've stayed for longer and have properly discussed the points, each at its own pace, but with the crisis back home unfolding fast, it sufficed.
"One million SIGEC is a fair sum, which hopefully should be enough of a deterrent against a war between us three. However, I am afraid that without IJN assets, that the anti-piracy action will be limited, at best. The FDS, though large, can not keep an operation of that magnitude running for long, especially not with the Ancerium shortage and sanctions. I hope you understand that, and once a final decision has been made on the status of the operations, you will be able to either send or keep the intelligence to yourself."
Chien-Po internally was thrilled. Letting the Furrelians struggle with a piracy problem they could not contain meant that their navies would be tied up and their finances slowly siphoned away, making it all the more difficult for the Furrelians to decide to renege on their word and attack Ingen in the coming wars.
"I am glad we could reach an accord, Mister Dinemeda," he said, standing and offering a reasonable bow. "I am sure our Imaginese hosts will draw up a fair and balanced written copy of these agreements for us to sign, but it seems that we have agreed on a treaty that will ensure peace in the Tuvian Arm. Most productive."
"There is one final note I would like to discuss before I sign the document and return to the Furrelian Union. The Empire is currently granting a searched war criminal, Garo Tarongori, political asylum in it. I would like to ask if it would be possible for Tarongori to be extradited to the Furrelian Union to stand trial for his crimes." Garo Tarongori was the last remaining Admiral of the Gauss Dominion's Government in Exile and was the de-facto head of state of it. Though he had officially not committed any war crimes, the Furrelian Government wanted for him to stand trial more as a political move. If he was extradited to the Union, it would mean that the last remnant of the Gauss Dominion would finally cease to exist, or at least as far as the Furrelians were aware.
"Please, consider it." Denemeda said, his arms opened up to the table. He had already grabbed a pen in case if he needed to sign a document.
Chien-Po had somewhat been expecting this demand. In the time since the Gauss Dominion had collapsed, Garo had proved largely useless. The outright destruction of huge swathes of Dominion society by the accidental release of their own bio-weapon had rendered his political contacts and military expertise useless, and he was essentially just a mouth to feed for the Jade Empire now.
Their close alliance with the Gauss Dominion had proved to be an embarrassment for the Jade Empire. Rotten to the core, it had fallen apart almost overnight, and only swift thinking by neighbouring powers had prevented the spread of the 'Budding' weapon from creating an international catastrophe. He pretended to weigh it up for a little while longer, and then nodded. The value of the tariff concessions, along with the one million SIGEC ransom securing Furrelian neutrality in the upcoming turbulent times, was more than enough to justify such a concession, and it had the added effect of washing Ingenious hands of the sad remnants of a dead civilisation.
"Agreed. We will transport him to Furrelian territory within a standard week."
Zoric watched the final exchange, before addressing the two parties.
“Gentlemen, I am saddened that these discussions must be cut short. I do believe however we have agreed on solid foundations here today. The situation our universe finds itself in is turbulent. It brings me great joy therefore that we can find solutions, here today.”
He stood once more tugging on his uniform, so it fell snug against him.
“Of course, we will make the necessary arrangements to provide you both with formal paperwork and will act as correspondence between you in the signing process. You will receive initial documents within the next 24 hours. Does this satisfy you both?”
Chien-Po stood and bowed. "Excellent. My thanks, General Zoric, for hosting us, and Mister Dinemeda I am glad we could reach an accord."
With that he turned to leave, moving with surprising grace for one of his bulk, leaving behind the faint scent of his expensive cologne.
Dinemeda gave the two men a friendly - or at least as friendly as a Furrelian could look - smile. The negotiations had gone alright, and were probably a warming-up to the messages he would have to write later on.
"I am pleased with the achievements that we three have made here, and in the light of the upcoming war, I am sure that the road to friendship between our nations has been opened. General Zoric and mister Chien-Po, I thank you both for your willingness for a road to peace. May Greyas be with you both.
As Zoric watched their vessels depart, he pondered further on the meaning of the meeting, and whether he had indeed negotiated a peaceful resolution for the future. They lived in a period of universal unrest, and certainly the outcomes agreed today would be stretched in the months and years to come he felt, but Zoric remained confident, despite his own military background, that a peaceful and diplomatic solution was achievable for all.
In the coming days, both Ingen and Furrelian’s would receive written copies of their meeting, transcribed, their required signatures a simple formality, set to join the curved signature of General Zoric, who had already ratified the copies.
As he Zoric sat within his temporary office within the Dacha of TD1, ruminating over the meeting, and the coming events, he pondered to himself on the implications.