(OCC: Retconed)
"Well, normally my country wouldn’t join this treaty, but the recent political events have forced us to reconsider. It is clear now, that individual nations can not effectively provide defense against the warmongering imperialist nations like Packilvania or Vekiayu. I hope this organisation will take a more active stance.
Really Nice Hats Ibilen
A night club in the market district
Sensing his FPSian colleagues stiffening, Kevin made a cold smile.
«Wow a lets see who has the longest gun competition is definitely an interesting opening, L. Bu then, youre right, no need to waste our time with useless formalities. We all know what were here for. Diplomatic things are developing down in Vekayu. Your leader is accepting the embrace hes being offered but it can well prove a thorny embrace indeed. Our enemies »
«Our opponent, interjected the FPIA agent, incinerating his Rezielan counterpart with a single glance «After all, theres nothing too hot going on. For now, at least. But yes. The people we represent, if you pass me the term well, theyre slightly concerned by Vekayus political moves. We know that Evesuni has recently met the Rezielan Ministry of Foreign affairs and that an embassy swap program has started but then, we know Evesuni is playing on a second board, too. Far more problematic, as were noting a possible un-balance in the central area of the region. And well as your group does not seem so interested in supporting this move of Evesuni well, wed like to understand if something can be done to support each other»
[hr]
Really Nice Hats Tricorne
D’Varden Music Hall
«Excuse me Sir hating to steal your attention away from these wonderful Ladies, but would you like something to drink?»
The crystal chalices were there, on the silver tray. So were the appetizers. Everything seemed in perfect place. Aside the fact of a waiter daring to directly speak with a top level diplomat. As the Mahanionian General slightly frowned, the waiter sustained his gaze for a brief moment, then he moved back it on the tray. Immediately after, he assumed an embarrassing expression, trying to arrange an excuse.
«I I am sorry, General. Didnt mean didnt mean. Really. I am inexcusable»
The gaze was still there, on the tray. The hook had been thrown the Generals attention had been definitely caught. And now, there were hopes he wouldnt have missed the small business card among the perfectly folded napkins, just waiting for Novac to notice it.
She smiled as a a waiter handed her a glass. “Thank you. What we need is funding. We need sufficient cash flow to begin a revolution in Listonia, for Evesuni has a grip on the military and is practically worshiped by the media and anyone who listens to that garbage.”
L set her glass on the table as some of her crowd moved out around the restaurant. “We will also need recognition. Sakeyuz despises socialism, because all who are affected by it become slaves to the system… Sakeyuz believes in freedom from the system through work. It is working for the whole that frees the people, not this notion of socialism where everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others. But it will be difficult to convince a nation of such things. Therefore, Sakeyuz will need recognition by nations of the EPTO in order to keep our goal alive. Without such recognition, we wouldn’t last very long. Our funds are limited and our numbers are not as big as we would like them. Therefore, we will need to rely on the EPTO for many things. But, if you want to prevent another state from joining ACTEP, we are probably the best thing…”
Her attention was swayed by one of her men walking slowly around the restaurant. “Do you believe something could be worked out whereby Sakeyuz would be welcomed to participate in EPTO affairs?”
He could almost hear their laughter in his mind, the carefree joy of innocent youth playing over and over within his mind. In that brief moment, he could see their happy faces, running to their mother to hug her as she called to them from across the playground. He wanted to join them, to reach out and hold them, call each of them by their chosen names, tell them how much he loved them, but they were too far away to touch, too far to hold.
And before he knew it, the shadows on the table melted back to blurs of blackness. As the waiter approached him and spoke, he frowned at the shadows, at the thought of his lost future, thinking that it had all just been a vivid collection of other people’s lives, the result of an overactive imagination conjuring what he had one day hoped to experience.
He looked up to the plate, seeing the calling card nestled neatly between an expensive cloth napkin, the crystal stem of the glass, and an appealing appetizer native to the nation. It was placed there almost inconspicuously, as if delicately designed to catch the eye and yet appear as an ornate masterpiece of art.
“I I am sorry, General. Didn’t mean didn’t mean. Really. I am inexcusable,” the waiter stumbled as he adverted his eyes from Novac.
Standing abruptly and shifting to the side, Novac swiped the card quickly, a clandestine ‘slight of hand’, while respectfully placing his black gloved hand on the waiter’s shoulder. “Do not trouble yourself son,” Novac’s deep voice responded, the sound of a man accustomed to giving orders over the cacophony of war zones, “hold yourself high and never apologize for addressing a man of Mahanoy. It was an honor to meet you,” he finished with giving the waiter a firm squeeze of the shoulder before turning to stride out of the hall.
Standing in silence for a few seconds, the waiter appeared confused by the general’s unusual show of respect for his lowly position. “It was a honor to meet you?” But he was only a waiter. It was almost surreal, almost unbelievable, like a daydream he had just imagined. And before he could respond, he remembered the card that he was supposed to deliver to the General. Instantly ashamed at the thought that he had forgotten to make sure the General had taken the card, he looked down to the tray he was holding only to find that the card was missing. He had not seen the man reach for the card, yet it was clearly missing. Wheeling around, the waiter watched as Novac’s back disappeared behind the doors, a man on a mission. He had seen that look before a few times. Turning back to serving tray, he smiled to himself, there was much he could learn from diplomats.
“Excuse me sir,” a soft voice from aside of him spoke gently. He looked down to see Vaeda reaching for one of the appetizers on the tray with a smile. “Whatever made our General so eager to dash out of here so quickly to get the recipe of must be worthy of my fine tastes,” she offered with a wink, the silent language of Mahanionians indicating that they were on the same page and all was going according to plan, almost imperceptible but ever slightly there.
Meanwhile, Novac retreated to the back of the building, working through a series of corridors until he reached an outdoor balcony. He stood for several minute in contemplative silence, his arms tucked behind his back as he stood straight backed and rigid overlooking a quiet courtyard below.
As birds danced from tree limb to tree limb in their respective game of tag, Novac removed the portable device from his pocket, a small handheld black device he seldom went without. Dialing the number on the card he retrieved from his pocket, Novac continued to stare out at the birds as he remained standing there with his commanding poise.
Really Nice Hats Tricorne
D’Varden Music Hall the Foyer
«Well this is more or less what were here to discuss about» nodded Codric «even if well, in the last years the tensions with the Pax have eased a bit. However the enthusiastic approach of new nations could indeed be a rather interesting perspective for EPTO. But then why wouldnt Lazlowia be interested in joining the Organization, in standard circumstances? Oh and make sure you do not miss the Hatian fried shrimps. Theyre simply wonderful»
[hr]
Really Nice Hats Tricorne
D’Varden Music Hall - the Balcony
«With that, youd probably make my personal assistant incredibly unsure about a possible answer»
As Novac turned back, Lachdanan Uth Reiser smiled to the perplexity which appeared on the mans face for a very short moment. He wasnt surprised, as he was wearing the simple black uniform of the standard Rezielan EPTO snipers positioned all over the area to help the Hatians keeping the security. No ensign, no ranks a sniper among tens of others. Nothing on earth was giving away any of Lachdanans multiple roles as Exiled Emperor of Irem, First Blade of the Empire and, for what concerned the most in that situation, de facto supreme commander of the Rezielan army, including the elite Archangels. But despite that, Lachdanan had no doubts the Mahanionian had immediately recognized him. No surprise with that. The man was impressive his fame was more than well earnt. Their meeting in Carbonis had been brief how long ago? Not more than three or four months, he thought. Things were piling up on his desktop. Too many. Once again, Lachdanan hated himself for having accepted so many scriveners work.
«I regret having stolen you from the party but I hoped we could chat about a couple of things away from paparazzi» he grinned, handing the other man a crystal glass full of sparkling white wine «A masterpiece from the Hatian canteens Ive heard Damon is doing a bit better»
Novac nodded as he took the glass, his black gloved hand wrapping around it, holding it up before them both. He stared at the bubbles trickling and dancing within the glass, a telling story of quality and refinement, but he was more interested in seeing the world through the prism of the glass.
Bringing the glass down, he placed it on the balcony railing, a small clink of glass hitting stone, the only sound in Novac’s momentarily silence. “Diehl has survived despite the odds. The boy is resilient, one of our finest, but he is complex. He is following in the footsteps of Dante. I only wish it does not claim his life as well,” Novac spoke, “it would also appear that he is making friends with the sons of your nation. It would appear those two are doing more to bring an alliance between our nations than all of our diplomacies.”
Tucking his hands again behind his back once again, Novac looked to Lachdanan, “But that is not why you are here, is it Reiser?” he asked with with his deep cold tone of command. “I imagine you have more pressing issues to discuss; one military commander to another, formalities aside. Men of war that we are, we know the importance of not wasting time on frivulous affairs. Life is too valuable to waste away. What is it you would like to discuss?”
«Yes an alliance between our nations. If theyre not too busy with jumping straight in the middle of numberless and no-way-out situations» chuckled the Archangels commander «But then yes, theres something else, which is related to the ongoing meeting here, but goes a bit deeper»
Moving near the balconys marble railing, he leant to it, inspiring the cold air of the night.
«Packilvania is rising. This is a fact. The whole EPTO thing is designed to offer a counterbalance but were not as effective as I would like. Many nations are being focused on their own internal problems, lately. Some other well, they shouldnt have been admitted in EPTO. The national alliances weve built here they stand strong and unchallenged. But if the Hive starts vomiting endless troops out of its cursed shelters things will not be easy. And the Grand Duchy is not the Iremian Empire. Were not defenceless but theres no need for powerful simulators to understand wed not have a single chance, should we become dunno. Some pompous title like The Last Hope For TEP would fit, were these times for funny jokes. But they arent»
Remaining silent for a moment, Lachdanan collected his own thoughts, thanking Novac for the silence. Endless and specific questions would have been distracting. The time would have come, but not right now. That was a moment for a far more emotional moment, if the word made any sense when national alliances were being discussed.
«Ive examined all the documents related to the interest of Mahanoy for EPTO, the materials about Carbonis and stuff about protecting commercial interests and all the good talks which have to be talked while playing the game of politics but Im not a politician. And Im rather sure Im not talking to one»
Again, a brief moment of silence was interrupted by the distant rumors of the street. Late diplomats. Paparazzi. People. Irrelevant.
«What I need to know is well, Carbonis is far away from the bulk of your nation. And you cannot simply make a nation-wide garrison out of it. So, if the nation comes under attack, you will have plenty of chances to retaliate but theres a fairly good chance you will lose Carbonis. The Grand Duchy can reshuffle the deck. Were nearer far nearer. An immediate intervention of us would almost surely avoid you to lose your beachhead in TEP offering you a chance to retaliate without having lost your logistics here. What Im asking for you can easily imagine. Reciprocity. Mahanoy will come at the Grand Duchys side, if we get attacked no EPTO endless discussions and whatifs. A bilateral military co-operation treaty of mutual support»
— Begin quote from ____
“Well this is more or less what were here to discuss about” nodded Codric “even if well, in the last years the tensions with the Pax have eased a bit. However the enthusiastic approach of new nations could indeed be a rather interesting perspective for EPTO. But then why wouldnt Lazlowia be interested in joining the Organization, in standard circumstances?”
— End quote
“We don’t like to be committed, unless it is absolutely necessary. We now have come to the opinion, that the recent actions of the aforementioned countries threaten Lazlowia directly, especially concerning the fact, that we were one of the most ardent opponents of Vekiayu during the Listonian Crisis. However, I am concerned about the effectiveness of this organization. In the last few years, this organization did basically nothing. What are the guarantees that it won’t be a joke organization in the future?”
Moving alongside Lachdanan, Novac ran his gloved hand along the railing, the smooth surface not snagging the gloves fine material as he might have expected in a less well-designed facility.
He stood in silence for a moment, weighing the costs and benefits of this alliance. While the Elite Empire had a formidable reputation of defending against world threats, the situation in this region was compromising many factors that could prevent it from keeping an effective line of communication and flow of troops. Air space availability was more heavily guarded here; no doubt the proposition to ally would greatly benefit their nation outweighing any cost of this alliance in the long run.
If a smile could play itself across Novac’s face, it did within his eyes as he extended his hand to Lachdanan, the most basic form of agreement across the ages, “agreed. However, I am prepared to extend this position towards any hostile advancement rather than merely a Packlivanian advancement. Our limited involvement with this region has taught us that the incompetency of the Vekaiyun government compromises rationale-minded decisions. We have already interacted with their national leaders to determine that their instability can result in massive causalities should war presume. Furthermore, that ‘sister’ nation Listonia is a bane in this region’s existence. Their national leader’s pretentious attitude and flaunting of nuclear power jeopardizes the safety of this region. I speak on behalf of the entire Elite Empire when I say, if any nation threatens the safety of the Carbonis hub, they will have more to fear than nuclear warheads. They should consider their selves fortunate to have a single opportunity to detonate one of those warheads before we move in and take them out. Whether or not you agree with our war tactics, we are prepared to offer you the same protection. My nation does not like to prolong military advancements. We have seen the cost of drawn out wars and have come to adopt a faster ‘annihilation’ approach. Suppress the threat as quickly as possible; do not allow it fester and brew and potentially gain support and allies.”
The black sports-utility vehicle, provided by a private company in Really Nice Hats because there was no Free Pacific States Embassy in the country, pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the D’Varden Music Hall. The four doors to the vehicle opened simultaneously, which made the person that stepped out of the passenger seat bristle.
“Mister President, how many times have I told you, you need to wait for us!” Paula Star ran around the back of the car to face Matthew Terrus. “What if there’d been a sniper?”
“Then he would’ve shot the three of you, walked to the car, and shot me while I was trying to get it into gear.” The former President of the Federated Alliance closed the rear-right car door. “And for the last time, I’m not President anymore, I haven’t been in years. In fact, right now, I believe my title is Special Envoy.”
Terrus was correct in both those statements. He left office in 2006, at the end of an unprecedented yet non-consecutive second term, and immediately retired. He returned to public work only two weeks ago, when he agreed to serve as Special Envoy to the EPTO, while the National Forum considered the nomination of a proper Ambassador to fill the temporarily empty roll of Representative.
Star, who took over as the chief of his protection detail last year, could not have cared less. She said so, too. Terrus could not have cared less if she cared. And he said so, too. Fifteen minutes of screaming later, Terrus’ aide, who had rode in the center back seat, cleared his throat. “Mister President, we’re late.”
The former Pre – Special Envoy – nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.” Terrus made his way into the building without another word. Star followed him, as did the aide, while the other two guards stayed with the car.
Terrus found his way to the foyer quickly, then even more quickly located the nearest source of a drink. A cocktail in hand, he proceeded to mingle in his usual style, which was to stay, he walked up to a random guest that appeared unoccupied and offered his free hand. “Hello! I’m Matthew Terrus, FPS Representative.”
Really Nice Hats Tricorne
D’Varden Music Hall the Foyer
«Hello! I’m Matthew Terrus, FPS Representative»
On the point of answering the Lazlowian Representatives question, Codric smiled. A quick glance at the Patek watch at his wrist didnt tell him anything he wasnt already suspecting the FPSian was late. Nothing to worry about, however: everyone knew the man liked incredible entries. And being late was a tactic just a number of others. A couple of noddings coming from Rezielan staff scattered in the rooms were met with a nodding back from Codric and then, he glanced back to the Lazlowian.
«Well it seems those we were waiting for have just arrived. The official meeting you were looking for well, its going to begin right now»
A moment after, when Hatian and Rezielan staffs begun inviting the different delegacies inside the conference room, Codric took the opportunity to excuse himself from the Lazlowians and approach the FPSian delegate proceeding towards the conference room.
«Lord Terrus, Cordic Valenstar from the Grand Duchy of Reziel, bringing you the salutes of Lord Reziel himself just wanted to be sure you will take care of the opening speech, as previously agreed?» he asked, hoping the whole thing hadnt gone lost in the middle of the FPSian bureaucracy without even having the chance to be actually forwarded to Matthew Terrus.
[hr]
Really Nice Hats Tricorne
D’Varden Music Hall the Balcony
Novac had just finished speaking when a dimmed red light appeared on Lachdanans armband. Immediately, the Archangel Colonel grinned.
«Youve basically told me what I hoped to hear, general Novac and yes, I would personally agree with the Elite Empires way to handle possible menaces. But Im sure well have plenty of chances to peruse this in the days to come the official conference is going to begin right now, your absence would definitely be noted, as your Empires entry inside EPTO is probably going to be the breaking news of this whole event evn more important than the other one», he chuckled.
“Its a pleasure to meet you, Cordic. And, please, call me Matt.” Terrus replied. “As for your question, let me assure you, no functional bureaucracy could allow such an important piece of information to slip through the cracks.”
That was not a lie, technically speaking, Terrus reassured himself. No functional bureaucracy could allow such an important piece of information to slip through the cracks. Of course, to call the Free Pacifican bureaucracy functional was to call the Pax sympathetic. But Terrus did not intend to explain that fact to Valenstar – the former President did not intend to let anyone know that the Department of International Affairs had not told him about that prior agreement.
“But, anyways, it appears that everyone is seated. So, I suppose I’d better get to it.”
Terrus made his way to his seat at that point. Once Valenstar was seated as well, he sat forward, and withdrew several pieces of paper from his pocket inside his jacket. The papers were, in reality, his itinerary and E-Boarding Pass. But no one except Star was in position to see that.
“Thank you all for coming here today,” Terrus stated after a moment. “It is great to see the representatives of the members of this alliance together once again to discuss the important issues facing this region. And I am very much honored that those here agreed to allow me to give the opening address of the 2010 East Pacific Treaty Organization Summit.”
The former President paused at that point. He realized there was an excellent way to avoid any appearance that he was unprepared. Sighing loudly, he folded up the papers, and put them back into his jacket. He then looked across the room.
“This region today faces a severe threat. That threat requires action, not pretty words. It requires those in this room to stand up, to realize what is happening, and to scream warning to this region. It requires that those hear throw out carefully worded addresses and instead use frankly stated statements.”
“We formed this alliance years ago to defend against the Packilvanian threat. We succeeded at that end and the Packilvanian Empire collapsed. But then we got complacent. We allowed this alliance to wither, to the point where we today lack a Secretary General, and allowed the Pax to replace the Packilvanians without complaint.”
“Not everyone is to blame. Prior to the collapse of that great state, the Gnidrahns tried to rejuvenate this organization, justifying the move by calling it an alliance of democracies. But that effort failed, the Gnidrahns withdrew, and then we were left with a still decrepit organization committed to a new cause.”
“We need to put aside that false cause today and return to the true purpose of this body. We need to recognize that this is not an alliance of democracies, it is merely an alliance of nations. And we need to recognize that this is not an alliance designed to preserve democracy, though it may do so in the end, but rather an alliance designed to protect against the greatest threat to this region today: the Pax.”
“But more importantly, we need to revitalize this great organization, so that it can resume its former role. To that end, we must select a new Secretary General, must de jure remove those nations already de facto removed from this alliance, and must redraw our Charter to ensure that this body does not ever again cease effective operation. And then, and only then, must we proceed to consider to allow entry to those applicant nations present here today. Because before we do those things, no matter who we admit to this organization, we can never hope to accomplish anything.”
“I yield the floor with a formal motion for an election of a new Secretary General.”
“Excuse me sir,” Vaeda responded, her voice soft-spoken yet professional as she stood up to address the room, “to my understanding an inactive organization is born from inactive leaders. In my nation, the responsibility of organizational failure befalls on its leaders. If I may be so bold, I would like to suggest a complete reorganization of leaders as to fully prevent the collapse of this alliance from occuring again in the future.”
She smiled softly, oblivious to reactions of others as she returned to sitting again, allowing her simple comment to carry its own weight within the structure.
The Hyas Tsinuk sergeant major stood, casting a shadow fully across the table. Brighton chuckled to himself and leaned forward in his chair, preparing to translate.
“Ten-as klootchman de-láte wau’-wau. De-láte wau’-wau to-mol’-la.”
“The tiny woman speaks the truth, but a truth better for tomorrow.”
“Klágh-a-nie me-sáh-chie. Cháh-ko e’-lip.”
“You are outside and that is no good. Come inside first.”
The sasquatch sat back down, his seat protesting the burden.
The colonel spoke from his chair.
“I agree with the sergeant major. Let’s settle the matter of membership before we get to the messy issue of leadership. That way we can all speak as friends and equals, not us and them.”
«Sirs… and above all my Lady, allow me to interject, just to clarify a basic concept. EPTO has not been inactive, during the last years. As Matth as Lord Terrus has perfectly explained, weve diverted from our initial purpose. In part, thats a fault of ours anyhow but then, Id like to make clear this has been mainly due to a correspondent and proportional decrease of activity inside the Packilvanian Empire. With the threat coming from our main opponent lowering yes, the ties inside this alliance have loosened and the level of activity has decreased. But nowhere along this EPTO has lost its ability to react. Even now, EPTO would be ready to react, in case of hostile movements against any of its members even if Lord Terrus is right stating that many have comfortably chosen… a different way of action»
Here, the Rezielan representative took a short pause. In his own mind, the target of that last comment was clear but the time for a direct accusation had not yet come.
«Men and women coming from both FPS and the Grand Duchy are now standing as the bulk of our Reaction Force and our respected East Malayisian counterparts are controlling outer space as theyve always done in the past, their starship ready to move in position in case an extra-terrestrial threat should appear perhaps somewhere near Jupiter, just to exemplify»
Ignoring the muttered comments of approval and the half smirks of the other representatives, Codric went on.
«So no, were not inactive. But yes weve not been vigilant enough. And now our opponent is experiencing an unexpected increase of activity. Which means theyre a threat again. As Lord Terrus has just said, the greatest threat to this region today. That should be, in my opinion, the most important topic to be discussed here. Weve not been vigilant enough in the past we cannot afford the same luxury for the next future. But no increased vigilance, no increased activity will matter if EPTO is not given back what it has lost during the years. More men. More funds. More equipment which leads straight to the point our Cascadian colleague has just raised. Far before anything else we have to count ourselves. Welcome new nations and yes, remove those who have chosen a different path»
I figure you would most likely want to know what we new nations have to contribute to this alliance? I will introduce my self, since I am a new face to most if not all as far as I can see. I General Fortress of The Dominion of Veerilion just to have that said. Since the questions will appear sooner or later so would I like to just use this period to introduce what Veerilion has to offer. Offering troops might not necessarily be the problems here, so Veerilion have would like to offer funding, equipment, and we can provide our more elite troops, to the service of the alliance.
With his Speech done, so did General Fortress sit down not bothering much about the murmurs and smaller discussions that had popped up, following the introduction, he was not totally sure, what the small chatter was about, but it was without doubt the funding.
Standing up Kimberly Rove spoke, “Packilvania is not a force to be reckoned with divided. Even the East Malaysian Empire has doubts on how long we could hold them off on our own.” Gesturing to to the people around her with her right hand she continued to speak, “as my fellow colleagues have mentioned and know, it will only be a matter of time before they make a move. I suggest we confirm applicant members first then move forward to leadership.”
Appreciating the brief speeches of the Veerilionese and the Malayisian delegates, Codric looked for Terrus’ gaze. When their eyes met, the Rezielan imperceptibly nodded, as to silently suggest to the FPSian “to do the right thing” and follow the flow… hoping the unspoken invitation would have been accepted.
Admiral Kotho sighed after hearing the Malaysian and thought [It is set… If both Reziel, East Malaysia and FPS decided to return to the stand against Pack, then this will be no longer the organization that the Gnidrahns invited us to be part off. Fools… If even with our help a victory against Pax alone was unlikely, so, without us and against ACTEP… Luckly for them, they´re not our target.]
Then, after Ms. Rose speech, he spoke:
"First, i´d like to remember Mr. Codric that the Drakkengardi always spoke directly. So i´d appreciate if he and all others spoke as such, for that we always offered to all.
As said before by others, the Gnidrahns tried to change EPTO, and was to that EPTO we agreed to belong. Why mercenaries would want that EPTO? Because we are changing as well. Politics are important? To same extent. Money? Always will be, as its our roots. But is no longer our focus. We have far bigger dreams.
And while an EPTO seeking to maintain the regional status quo would have our support, we won´t be part of a crusade against Pax, specially one based on fear and misinformation.
There is still time to re-think and keep the Gnidrahns dream alive. But if you all insist in this foolish path, my last advice is that Pax isn´t alone anymore, and while our nation might be the youngest in this room, we already tread in stars where the Malaysian don´t and possess powers most only dream of."
Terrus nodded back to Valenstar. He was about to voice his assent when the Drakkengardi representative spoke. Terrus spoke quietly once Kotho finished.
“The Pax are the greatest threat to the regional status quo. That is not fear-mongering nor is it misinformation. It is merely the truth. The expansionist goals of the Pax are not alien to anyone in this room.”
The former President took a breath, then spoke at regular tone. “The Admiral asks that everyone here speaks directly, so I shall do so at this very moment. Every nation represented here, except for Drakkengard, desires this organization to reclaim its mission as a shield against Pax aggression. Given that super-majority opinion, it is clear that this alliance shall today abandon its ideological purpose, and again adopt an entirely pragmatic purpose.”
“If the Drakkengardi oppose this change in purpose, which is completely understandable, it may be time for Drakkengard to consider withdrawal from this organization. Please do not misunderstand – I do not demand a Drakkengardi withdrawal nor do I begrudge the nation that the Admiral represents. But this alliance will change its mission today and if the Drakkengardi disagree with the new purpose of this organization, then it does not make sense for them to continue to contribute resources to it.”