Jurgen Oppenheimer stood in the corner of the room, occasionally sipping his slivovice. From his corner, he watched other world leaders congregate. He sighed. “Standing alone is a bit boring,” he mused. “Why don’t I find someone to talk with,” Jurgen took another sip from his slivovice and began to scan the room. After looking around for a few moments, his gaze landed on Frode Humblack, the Prime Minister of South Staynes. Smirking, he walked over to him. “Greetings,” he said. “I am Emperor Jurgen Oppenheimer of Kostoria-Obertonia. You are Frode Humblack, Prime Minister of South Staynes if I am not mistaken. Am I correct?”
As Mister Leader II squeezed into the packed dining hall, he spotted some familiar faces. Given his relatively short term as of late, he was proud that he had taken initiative and met some of these people, though he could’ve done better. The Leader was constantly plagued with a perfectionist tasting, you see, and he wanted not only what was best for his nation, but also for the greater Urth.
He continued to shoulder through diplomat, president, and the occasional duke until he reached one of his greatest allies: Prime Minister James Stevenson. Judging by the newsfeeds that Leader had went through, he understood that this man was practically the Tretridian equivalent of himself. With nice hair, good looks, and that classic Atlantian paleness, they were nearly physically indistinguishable. More importantly, however, he tended to have the same views as he did.
“Prime Minister Stevenson?” Mister Leader called out. The called appeared to be slurping something from the bar, although Leader hoped that it wasn’t alcoholic. That could make things complicated. “Mister Leader II here. I had thought we could have a discussion on matters before the meeting. Would you be interested?”
As Bob Jones and Owen Tubolt arrives into the dining room, they begin discussing on what to do.
Bob Jones: “I believe we should try to befriend foreign leaders as this is a prime opportunity.”
Owen Tubolt: “I agree, but keep your guard up. Don’t want to be a drunk while negotiating eh?”
(Bob Jones chuckles) “Don’t worry about it. What are you going to do?”
Owen Tubolt: “I’m going to go grab some food and chat with the guests.”
Bob Jones: “Alright, I’ll see you later.”
Frode was a relaxed gentlemen. He enjoyed drinking alcohol, spending many of his Friday nights in the fanciest South Staynish restaurants with his political advisories and family. Frode was happy at least someone engaged in conversation with him, although he was not bothered drinking alone.
“Emperor Jurgen Oppenheimer, pleasure.” He bowed. “You’re correct.” A pause. “I assume Your Highness is doing well?” He asked.
“Besides the problems in my country, yes thank you.” the Emperor replied.
“Yes, it’s crippling. Good.” Frode noted, hesitantly wanting to steer the subject to a more political standpoint.
“The crisis in Xagrurg is devastating. The South’s borders can no longer cope. Thousands upon thousands are just walking straight into our nation.” He commented. “I am aware of Al-Jeehad making a residence in your nation. What do you think about it?” He asked.
“It’s definitely not a presence I or anyone in my nation wants…” the Emperor said, before the conservation being disturbed as three humming chimes were heard from the other side of the room.
Lambertus and Leon has been walking in private for over half an hour.
“Of course, Leon. All neccesary precaution will be held out.” Lambertus noted.
“Excellent, I’m glad we’ve come to an agreement on that.” Smiled Leon.
Lambertus took out his pocket watch, a family antique that had been passed down from his grandfather, Thadeus II.
“Okay, Leon, we must head to the Dining Hall rather quickly. We have our speeches to announce.” A pause. “This way.” Lambertus led the other man down several winding corridors until he came across a large, beautifully constructed door. He offered Leon inside first, and followed afterwards. Lambertus looked around the room, and was delighted to see the many recognisable faces. What made him even more eager to announce his speech was that everyone had aquainted themselves with a beverage and had settled down. Lambertus picked up a wine glass and a spoon and tapped the head moderately convincingly three times, generating three uninterupted chimes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me to the room where I will present my speech, if you will. Conversations can be continued in there for several minutes until I begin.” Lambertus pleaded. With the general approval ringing the tone of the room, the entire crowd made their way calmy to the other end of a corridor towards a large white door. Lambertus opened up the door, locking its special mechanism in place. He waited inside. The room was very large and featured a dozen decorated round tables, all individually hosting eight leather chairs. The front of the room was a large stage with a lecturn at an elevated position in the centre. As the first guests made their way in, Lambertus offered his hand out in greetings.
Time: 8:50pm
A large private luxury jet quietly landed without fanfare at the Sani Bursil International Airport. A small entourage deplaned and entered the waiting black limo and the escorting black SUV’s. The vehicles flying two distinct little flags on the hoods. The right flag that of the Grand Duchy of Dragonia, and the left that of the City-State of Oceansend. The vehicles quickly left the airport after showing the airport security their diplomatic credentials as a couple of police motorcycle escorts led them to the Sani Bursil Royal Palace.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Time: 9:35pm
The vehicles drove up to the front steps of the Royal Place after passing through another security check. A man stepped out of the front of the limo, obviously a bodyguard by the way he held himself and moved. Listening to an ear-bud and nodding, he opened the back passenger door. Out stepped a well dressed and distinguished looking older gentleman with a cane in his hand. Another person stepped out once the first took a few steps away, this equally well dressed and handsome man was about half the age of the first gentleman. Two bodyguards joined them.
Entering the Royal Palace the four followed the guide that was leading them to their destination. As they made their way to Room-C the two spotted His Majesty High-King Lambertus VII of Staynes, Caltharus and South Staynes apparently greeting the last of the other Auroran leaders who have attended.
“Ah, young Lambertus, Royal Cousin, it is agreeable to see you again. The last time I saw you, you were just a young child with your father at the first ACA talks in Weyrcliff.” The Grand Duke of Dragonia, Jeymian Drachenberg III (82yr) stated with a smile as he clasped hands with the High-King.
“I do not know if you have ever met my nephew?” the Grand Duke started, “this is Lord Mayor Jeymi Vorlynovich (48yr) of the City-State of Oceansend.”
“Your Majesty, it is good to meet you,” the Lord Mayor of Oceansend said to the High-King as they shook hands.
“I would have been here earlier but decided to stop by Oceansend to pick up Jeymi here, also it meant I would not have to fly over Xagrurg or Ethalria. Just to be on the safe side.” The Grand Duke told the High-King.
After talking to Ese Ulua and Eleanor the queen requested it would be a honor for them to sit along side her at the table,“they smiled and said it would be our honor your Majesty”. As she walked over to the dining area she noticed Bob Jones she politely sent a wave his direction,sure of seeing Lambertus on her way to the seat she took the long way.
Royal President Rico sipping on a more then average amount of Hennessey for a meeting , nods at everyone walking past thinking to himself “OK Rico you got this your going to just walk in and have seat next to the queen and not say nothing,your damn near drunk put the cup down and just gone sit down”,meanwhile PM Duntly is walking towards Rico and notice him in the corner.
Duntly: well what the devil you doing in the corner with the bottle
Rico:I have not the slightest clue I just was trying to view the area see the people come in.
Duntly: well let’s a have a seat the meeting about to begin
Both Rico and Duntly come and take a seat next to the queen.
Prime Minister James Stevenson walked into the hall, noting that many powerful heads of state were in attendance. He recognized Mister Leader II of Mexregiona and Viktor Drugov of Stratarin. Well, at least I’m not alone on this venture. He also saw Lambertus VII greeting the other attendees.
He sat down at his seat.
Calvin was standing at the window when Mario Capuzzi knocked at the door, entered, and bowed.
"Your highness, I have this letter that may interest you.
The letter was tied with a ribbon and stamped with wax. The King tore through it and read the letter.
— Begin quote from ____
Dear World Leaders,
We invite you to a meeting at the Sani Bursil Royal Palace for 11:30 PM Staynes time to discuss the ever growing Fascist problem that we must face. We shame these nations as the Greater Xagrurgian Empire, and whom they’ve allied with, Ethalria.
With consideration,
High-King Lambertus VII of Staynes, Caltharus and South Staynes.
— End quote
“I’ve heard a little bit about the GXE…” Calvin started. “But not much. Is there a briefing?”
Mario shook his head. “We haven’t time. The conference is about to begin.”
1 hour later, King Calvin I and Mario were on the Royal Plane and flew towards Aurora.
Stevenson continued with his drink, unaware of the Leader’s ruckus. Perhaps the room was loud and crowded to get anything across. Either way, he seemed completely unknowing of anything Leader said.
After mixing and mingling with the rest of the guests, Bob Jones and Owen Tubolt took their seats.
Bob Jones: “I see many powerful leaders of Urth here. Good thing they acknowledge the crisis in Xagrurg or we might’ve been doomed as we can’t handle a naval invasion by the GXE against Yor.”
Owen Tubolt: “It is a good thing, but keep our guard up. We need to stay alert in our time of crisis.”
Bob Jones: “Wise words, but we need this help.”
Owen Tubolt: “Alright but I’m not drinking.”
Stevenson got himself a glass of water and began drinking. They ran out of the stuff on the Executive Plane, and he was terribly thirsty by the time he arrived at Sani Bursil.
Smith said, “By the way, Mister Leader II wanted to chat with you, but you didn’t notice him.”
Stevenson swallowed a mouthful of water and said, “Ask him to talk with me.”
Rushing out of the private plane, Alyona Petrovavich and her advisor Yuriev hurriedly made their way to the dining hall. Upon entering, they saw that the meeting had yet to start.
“Whew, just in time!” Alyona sighed with relief.
Yuriev and Petrovavich took their seats.
After shaking everyone’s hand, and allowing the room to settle for over ten minutes, Lambertus took a slow walk up the stairs to the lectern in the centre. He tapped the microphone to check its status. He gave a slight cough to announce the beginning of his speech.
“Ladies and gentlemen. It is a pleasure to have you all here under these dreary circumstances. I wish to say a few things.” A pause. “Firstly I would like to personally thank everyone attending this meeting tonight, I also hope everyone has a pleasant time.” A pause. “The reason behind everyone attending tonight is based on the Greater Xagrurgian Empire’s regime. Unfortunately the regime has killed thousands of innocent lives and injured many more in a successful attempt to gain control of the Xagrurgian Republic. This morning I received news that the regime has caught the attention on one of our greatest political enemies, the Grand Matriarchy of Ethalria. It is believed that the two nations have formed a military alliance and seek to destroy the very democratic foundations our ancestors fought so hard to establish all these years ago.” A pause. “In further news, it is allegedly reported that they wish to take this Empire to war. The very Empire that rose up with its allies to these faces of terror just over forty years ago.” Lambertus paused, studying the many faces watching. He stared into one of the dozen of cameras broadcasting his speech across the world. “If we are to rid the Urth of tyranny and injustice, a fight against this monstrosity is imminent. We must ally ourselves with one another to defeat a common threat before it is too late.” A pause. “If a united us scrape the very terror forming at the centre of our wonderful continent, we may rejoice. Stopping this regime will bring light to a stronger, united and more efficient Aurora. One that would not fall on its knees at the first arrow. The economies of each country would prosper greater than ever, and Aurora will once again be at the pinnacle of world finance, stability and power.” The monarch paused to wetten his mouth. “If we do not manage victory, the world could be the last place we would want our children living in. Whole continents littered with famine because of the greed of such corrupt leaders.” Lambertus paused. He took a few seconds rest as he studied the room. “With political allies such as Tretrid, Stratarin, Adumara, our Commonwealth nations, to name a few, as well as our closest neighbour and our biggest ally, Axdel, we should be sure to wipe the planet of these vermin.” A pause. “Unfortunately this battle coincides with the terrorist threat, Al-Jeehad, which has managed to set up residency in Aurora. The terrorists have gained an array of equipment from unprotected sources and stand strong. For a stable Aurora, we must destroy them and take back what democracy gave us.” Lambertus straightened his suit as the audience gave their applauds. “The war will start regardless of who is involved, which displays the venomous political ideologies of those facing us. This war will be a ferocious impact unless every precaution is taken. Even then, it could devastate us. For freedom, for democracy, and for our children. Join us in the fight before it is too late.”
Queen Naomi II begins to stand and give Lambertus a round of applause, and slightly grins at her cousin.“This speech was better then what I thought It would be,I’m proud of him actually” she thinks to herself. Following this she called for a toast to the king and toast to the freedom of Xagrurg and for the better of Aurora.
After the applause, Leon rose to the microphone, ready to deliver his own statement to the gathering.
Wise words, your highness, and its a pleasure to join you this evening. He began. " Friends, With these corrupt powers rising before us, abusing the people of this proud continent I fear for the future of the nations of Aurora. I am especially concerned about the future of the ACA, which has paved the way to economic prosperity for all members, placing this continent at the forefront of the world in terms of development and freedom. The idea that this freedom, and the freedom of the world as a whole, is being threatened by the Greater Xagrurgian Empire and Ethalria with their backward ideologies is disturbing. Thus, I, on behalf of the Democratic States of Axdel, pledge support the endeavours of the Staynish-Caltharus Empire in their efforts to oppose these fascist forces.
The Royal Plane finally landed in the SCE, and Staynish traffic held up the royal party for a few minutes. But a few minutes after the meeting started, Mario Capuzzi, breathless, burst in to the room, saying, “We’re here! What did we miss?”
…[edit_reason]Royal Doublepost[/edit_reason]
Giving a brief nod to the High King, Mister Leader approached Capuzzi and gave a brief rundown of the meeting thus far to the Altaesian. The group hadn’t missed much, so it wasn’t long until they were accommodated and ready for the continuing of the discussion. Leader went back to his end of the room, and took a seat next to Prime Minister Stevenson.
“I heard you called for me?”
After applauding Lambertus’s speech, Bob Jones and Owen Tubolt proceed to continue talking.
Bob Jones: “I’d say that was a pretty good and inspiring speech.”
Owen Tubolt: “I agree. So how are you holding up?”
Bob Jones: “I’m pissed, tired, and stressed. I’d say I’m doing pretty good.” (In a sarcastic voice)
Owen Tubolt: “Alright, don’t take your attitude to public, remember the last time you were blunt on TV?”
Bob Jones: “Oh right, sorry about that.”
Owen Tubolt: “It’s alright. So how are the Xagrurgian forces doing?”
Bob Jones: “The fleet is running low on supplies and GXE bombers are getting more fierce in their bombing runs. The ground troops need to be shipped out to other places as they can’t be cramped in one island. Obviously the Air Force is in no shape to fight.” (Bob Jones’s phone buzzes from notifcation from NIA)
Bob Jones: “Oh no. The GXE just conscripted over a million men into the military. We certainly cannot hold off an invasion force of that size.”
Owen Tubolt: “This isn’t good at all.”