Bongiornu.

We don't know each other yet, though I suspect that might change soon. I have of course heard of you, monsieur Bonaparte, as I trust you've heard of me. If not, know this : I am Henri-François Maximilien René de Suffren, comte du Loiret, and as the Chancelier of His Majesty, I speak in His name. Let me begin by saying that we, at the Chancellerie, were more than surprised to hear from you. A message from Provence, the herald said ! From whom, we wondered. Nothing left there but civilians and anarchy, we thought... But that wasn't giving the Corsicans enough credit, was it ?

I will admit that your remarkable message created much relief among us. We had of course heard of this Minarchy nonsense, and were afraid of the implications... But I, and several among my colleagues, thought that most of you Corsicans would have packed up and gone following that dreadful battle. It appears we have underestimated your tenacity... I almost said loyalty. My Corsican is a little rusty, but I know your people and your ways quite well. Enough to know that any proper Corsican never does anything for free, n'est-ce pas ?

Your suggestion has created much debate among my peers. Gallia is well aware that it can no longer exert its dominating influence at a whim... And while this notion is unacceptable to many, I and others have chosen to mourn it... And to adapt to it. Sic transit gloria mundi. Your offer was relayed to Charles with our recommendation, and He has chosen to accept it, though with much sighs and about as many conditions. Here are the terms we have come up with.

- The Government of Gallia unofficially and temporarily delegates the ruling, administration and policing of Provence to the Unione Corse. This excludes the permanent stationing of regular forces anywhere in the system, but does not exclude patrols and visits.

- Officially, it still claims complete sovereignty over the system and its inhabitants. Strategic communication will remain the same : Provence is Gallia, and Gallia is une et indivisible.

- The Government of Gallia expects the Unione Corse to maintain the suspected levels of chaos and anarchy at a controllable level. Any significant surge in criminality will also force our hand.

- The following, in ascending order of importance, is expected of the Unione Corse towards Provence : preservation of life, preservation of infrastructure, preservation of loyalty to the Crown.

- The Government of Gallia demands that Provence be kept a demilitarised zone. Letting the Council or Maquis establish a permanent, visible presence in the system will nullify this agreement.

- In exchange for these services, the Government of Gallia is willing to exonerate select Corsican interests of taxes for the duration of this agreement, to offer amnesty to a select number of wanted Corsican associates and to concede the taxation of Provence to the Unione Corse, as part of the delegation of sovereignty to the aforementioned entity.

I must insist on the temporary nature of this agreement, if it should be signed, monsieur Bonaparte. The words une et indivisible are very dear to us, and this solution is one of immediate necessity. There will be a retaking of Provence through any means necessary, in due time. Although, with this message, you have ensured that this retaking could very well proceed in a conciliatory fashion, at the negociation table, rather than through force of arms. Once more, Gallia is willing to shake your hand... Be that a good thing, or not.

Ubi concordia, ibi victoria. Do you accept our terms ?