A crowd of reporters sat in the conference room, all facing towards the single table at the front. There were already four people sitting at the table, three of whom were easily recognizable. On the far right there was Bradon Hill, Secretary of National Defence. Next to him sat Ted Shuling, Finance Minister. On the far left was Tabatha Beem, head of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. Next to Ms. Carn was a face that none of the reporters present recognized. He was a fairly young man, no older than thirty, yet he had a look of serene confidence that surpassed all of the more senior members around him.
At the centre position of the table was an empty chair. A bodyguard stepped through a door to the right of the table and faced the crowd.
“All rise for the Honourable Chancellor!” He said.
Everyone stood from their seats and looked towards the door. Through it came the one they had been waiting for. A man in his mid forties walked confidently to the head position of the table. He had a well combed head of striking blond hair, smooth facial features, and a pleasant smile. He wore a simple business suit, if you passed him on the street the only thing that might catch your eye was his movie-star looks and his bright blue eyes.
He sat in the centre chair and motioned for everyone to sit as he did so. Once the noises of moving had subsided he leaned forward slightly to a microphone that was positioned on the table in front of him. He glanced down at a neat pile of papers in front of him, then looked up into one of the many video cameras that were in the room.
"Greetings, respected Citizens of Moafin. I come before you today to make an announcement that will change our way of life. The world is an ever changing place, and those who wish to not merely survive, but to thrive, must change as well. Change cannot be viewed as an evil thing, nor can it be viewed as an avoidable thing. If we are to cling to the vestiges of an old way of living, it would surely doom us as thoroughly as if our long-dormant home once more exploded beneath our feet.
"Our Great land of Moafin is far too amazing to not put it on display for the entire world to see. I am here today to inform our dear populace, to inform the East Pacific, to inform the World, that Moafin is a strong nation that will no longer be hidden behind a veil of secrecy!
"While our heritage is of the utmost importance, it is time to cast off the dying idea that we can continue to progress at the rate that we have without any outside influences. From this day forth, the shores of Moafin will be open to all foreign citizens that are in good legal standing within their own country. Furthering that, to promote unity between ourselves and the nations of The East Pacific, I am hereby instating English as the Official Secondary Language of Moafin.
“On a grander scale than these, we will be actively negotiating international, mutually beneficial, treaties with nations that are inclined to interact with us. Every culture has something that we can learn from, something that can assist us in our progression, and I believe that what Moafin and the Moafish people have to offer is equally valuable to outside nations. To complete these goals, I am pronouncing this man, Matthew Cane, as our new Director of Foreign Affairs. Thank you for your time, I will answer a few questions now.”
The crowd of reporters instantly erupted into a chorus of questions. The Chancellor pointed to a young man near the front row and everyone else quieted down.
“Chancellor Shaw, you have been steadfastly promoting the benefits of independence from outside influences, why the sudden change?”
The Chancellor leaned back and seemed to scratch his ear for a second, before replying.
“Economical independence is indeed a great virtue, and we have nearly established that very thing. We are entering into this phase of our nations history in a unique position, in that we do not need the outside world, but rather we want it. We desire good relations with our neighbours. We long for not a segregated society, but rather one that integrates all people, no matter their size, colour, race, or species. To achieve this goal, we must begin by making Moafin a more welcoming place. Next question, please…”
A man sat on a sofa in a dark hotel room, leaning forward as he stared at a television. The blinds were pulled over the windows, allowing only a sliver of golden light to seep through. Two bodyguards stood beside the sole door to the room, another one stood behind the sofa. The man on the sofa was uncannily similar to the blue-eyed, blond man he was watching give an address on the television. The only major difference was a long cut that ran from his forehead, across his clouded left eye, and down onto his cheek. It was nearly healed, but showed signs of happening in the recent past. Suddenly he slammed his fist down onto a coffee table, and stood up pacing the room.
“I should be down there, damn it!! I wrote the bloody speech! That puppet down there may look like me, but no amounts of training or information fed to him through that bug in his ear will make him sound like me!”
The guard that stood behind the Chancellor stayed calmly in position, and spoke with no emotion in his voice. “He doesn’t look like you right now, Sir, and your wound is too recent for plastic surgery yet. We don’t want people to know about the attempt against your life, not until the culprit is caught.”
The Chancellor glared at the guard with his one good eye. He knew the guard was right, he was always right concerning things like this, that’s why he was the Chancellors personal bodyguard.
But the Chancellor just wasn’t used to taking a back seat to when it came to running his country. At least he would be in control of any written correspondence between Moafin and the other nations. He had written a letter that his newly appointed Director had sent out to begin talks about trade routes and foreign embassies with nations that might be interested in relations. All that was left now was to wait and see the response. Would The East Pacific be welcoming to the new openness of such a secluded nation? Or was Moafins shrouded history and behaviours too much to overcome? Only time would tell, the Chancellor decided, only time would tell…
OOC: This is the letter sent to the various heads of Foreign Affairs and Commerce devisions of all interested nations.
— Begin quote from ____
Greetings.
I would like to have the pleasure of informing you that the Island Nation of Moafin has recently instated a major foreign affairs policy change, and we are now actively involved in the creation of stronger international ties with the rest of The East Pacific. We would be most grateful if you would consider opening negotiations with us concerning the creation of trade routes, embassies, and regulations in the area of citizen transportation between our nations. I wholeheartedly look forward to your response, thank you for considering the matter. If you have any questions, please bring them directly to me.
Signed
Matthew Cane
Director of Foreign Affairs
The Island Nation of Moafin.
— End quote