Ivan drank a sip of water to moisten his tongue before speaking.
Sir William, according to inter-Colonial law bringing a capital ship into a foreign sovereign solar system uninvited and without permission is nothing short of a declaration of war and subject to expulsion or immediate destruction upon refusal to leave the space.
May I remind everyone what this summit is about: Finding a peaceful alternative, ideally an alternative that all parties are content with.
With that being said, let me make it very clear as to why the decision of the Bretonian government to bring a military capital ship into Omega 49 is the worst decision they could have made save for colonizing Gran Canaria.
Throughout history, Zoners occupied territory outside of House controlled space for the exact reason of not having to deal with the respective governments, although mister Holliday and OSI strive for a peaceful solution, there are other more militant Zoner groups in the vicinity who see this action as an attack on their integrity, and these militant groups have the firepower to protect that integrity, even from a Bretonian battleship, they are merely waiting for Bretonia to make a mistake that would justify them destroying this vessel, and right now Bretonia is in the process of making that very mistake.
Then there is the refugee issue.
A large number of Bretonian civilians have settled this planet when they ran from the initial invasion of Leeds, and there is an increasing number of people arriving from New London.
These people have fled because they want nothing to do with the war, and now Sir William, your government has brought the war to their doorstep.
There is a very real chance that these people although peaceful, may take up arms against what they perceive to be a Bretonian effort to rob them of their last hope for a safe haven.
A Bretonian military presence in this system may also make them a target for Gallia, even more reason for them to oppose your presence through armed conflict.
As far as the Coalition is concerned, the Bretonians and your neighbors may have noticed that in the recent history Coalition military operations against the Crown have come to a complete stop, you have this to thank to a standing non agression pact that has been signed between our State Duma and the Crown.
A pact that the Coalition so far has honored.
Omega 49 is directly bordering Coalition space and a Bretonian military presence here would make a good staging point for Bretonian attacks upon our people.
The Coalition retains the right to protect it's citizens from any foreign incursions, and our government may see your presence here as a breach of the non-agression pact.
This will force Bretonia to wage the war on two borders, something that did not work out for you in the past, hence the pact.
There are also the Cretenians who have a considerable population on this world, and they will NOT shy away from openly engaging Bretonian troops on the streets.
The current no fire zone and neutrality status will be effectively dissolved and of all involved parties, Bretonia will suffer the most from it.
Now you will do well to bring this to the Crown's attention and make them retreat that battleship ASAP if you care at all about the well being of Bretonian citizens.
Ivan paused to catch his breath, after which he finished his glass of water.
But what do I know? I am just here to oversee Major Grachov's well-being, so comrade Grachov, if you have anything to add or modify to what I have said, I think now it would be a good time.
"I would like to remain silent about all the tactical uses for your resources. About how you all can put together some efforts and simply build a Space Colony in Omega-49 and live side by side in peace, eventually helping eachother, and Us, in particuallar, to stop the warmachine we all refer to as the Gauls. But, evidentally, that is not an option."
He sighed heavily, realising, that summit was going nowhere, and that his XO was right in the end.
"What I want to ensure is that our demands will be met. And Our demands are simple. Cretan presence on Gran Canaria shall not be in place and The Coalition will have an embassy on Gran Canaria. As well as the Zoners, who have their sovereign property on the planet, still remain the owners of their property. Simple enough."
(10-13-2023, 12:51 AM)Haste Wrote: This is a feature as most Discovery players would not receive a response from women.
After Grachov finished speaking, Ivan looked at Holliday and William.
Major Grachov makes a good point.
A space colony serving the Bretonian interests in this space is a better alternative to military presence.
This way the Zoners get to keep their world, refugees can still arrive in peace and it will put the minds of our Coalition citizens at rest knowing that there will be no military build up of Bretonian presence just beyond our border.
Me and Grachov can petition our government to deliver funds to the construction of this colony provided we will get a Coalition representative on board.
If the Zoners take the same course of action, I can see this working out for everyone involved and it is achievable with less expenses for everyone.
See it as a Freeport, but run by the Bretonian government, a better alternative, for a peaceful future.
Ivan stood up and went to the bar to refill his glass of water.
She sighed. It appeared to be time to voice her opinion, the opinion of a "Zoner" from Omicron Theta. There was one thing she never liked and that was talking in front of such people, yet the silver haired woman raised her voice:
"It is relatively easy for you, Bretonians. No matter any negotiations, treaties or other dealings. There are a few things you shouldn't forget. First of all.. the Cretans here on Gran Canaria. Sure, the Coalition hates the Cretans like nothing good, it is somewhat understandable given the differences between both. But I suppose you all forget a point here, the Cretans on Gran Canaria are far more peaceful than your average raider party. The Cretans here have the chance not to rely on plundering in and around Bretonia to survive. You would rob quite a considerable amount of people, the vast majority being just as much civilians as we Zoners, of their self sustainability, their life away from raiding and plundering around the Omegas, Bretonia or even Rheinland.
Now guess what this people will do when you hush them off the Planet? Exactly, they will choose the only real option they would have left, to become like their brothers or sisters using violence to survive. That's not wise at all.
Now, Bretonians, as the Coalition representatives mentioned, Omega-49 is bordering their home, do you really wish to threaten them? So soon after they signed a pact with the Crown? That would be foolish, right now, right here Bretonia is weakened. There is no need for you to open up a second front. The Coalition would defend themselves, causing losses on their side, not all Zoners would give up their home too, you already saw that there are movements against Bretonia appearing! And in addition with the Corsairs, you would create a hell of a mess out of Omega-49. And guess who would suffer the most in the end? Bretonia. See, nobody here wants Gauls taking over Bretonia. If you need space for refugees, sort this matter out in a diplomatic way. Not by sending some lawyer, get an actual diplomat here. Make an arrangement with the local Zoners, just don't spit on us for the crippling of the Zoner Confederation. Oh and.. don't see this as a threat but I assume the Stirling is a relative old vessel, right?
Just think about all of it.." She finished up, without waiting for a reaction she walked across the room, grabbing a woman by the shoulder, it was Megaera she got a hold onto. "We got to talk."She whispered to her.
Nathan crossed his arms and released a hearty laugh. "The solution is obvious then isn't it? There is a single trait shared across the vast majority of the people here: burning hatred for the Corsairs".
Nathan then moved his eyes between Doc Holiday and Voncloud. "And Zoners, you may try to wave you neutrality in this matter, but let us not forget that it was only under a year ago that the Corsairs sided with Order terrorists in a brazen attack against the Confederation of Freeports and all Zoners under their care; including those on Gran Caneria". NAthan's right eye quickly flashes with white light - the ARES-Class eye cybernetic activates - and he displays several holographic images for the delegation to see: Corsair and Order capital ships in the Freeport 11 NFZ, attacking Zoner vessels and Port Carthage. He blinks and the projection ends. His eye returns to normal.
"It's within the interests of everyone to remove the Cretan colony. The Core is very proficient in removing unwanted Corsair colonies, and can instruct and train regulators with in-depth means to displace them" Nathan shoots a grin at the lone Corsair girl across the room, and subtly taps the bottom of his rifle with his finger.
Finally he turns towards the Coalition delegates in the room. "Now Reds, it sounds a lot like you want to use the Zoners as a squishy buffer between yourselves and Bretonia? That's not very honest" he jeered at them. "Care to elaborate on what the movements of Coalition Military vessels will be after this hypothetical development?"
Dia sat at the table, quiet, without uttering a single word throughout the entire conversation, maintaining a stoic expression as she had taught herself to do in tense situations.
Inside, though, she was boiling. If she hadn't been here in official capacity, she would not have stayed quiet. She would have told them. Those vile, filthy men speaking of her own compatriots in such a manner. Granted, Dorian compatriots, but compatriots nonetheless.
On one side, the Bretonians wanted to expel them, expel them from the planet and system they spent so much to protect and care for. Those Corsairs who, forgoing the life in space and desiring something more than the sandy dunes of Dorian homeland or even the beautiful valleys and golden fields of Attica risked everything to build a life elsewhere. She had learned of a man, back from the ancient Earth, who wanted to expel a people from his country. To think such knowledge was lost on the Bretonians, it only proved how utterly contemptible scum they were and how thinly-veiled their true intentions had been.
On the other, humans who may have as well been dogs. Communists, enslaving their own people on a frozen world, hidden to the rest of Sirius behind the mask of compassion. They revealed little, but knowing that they were evil was enough for her. It only confirmed Bretonian weakness she suspected earlier, as only a weak and drowning man would clutch at such straws.
She would have called upon all the rhetorical knowledge she got, from ancient books and from witnessing her father oratorical prowess in the past. She would rise, summon all her power, and speak, like an avatar of righteous virtue and fury, like Athena herself, she would let them feel the utter contempt she and her entire nation held for them, those people, those dogs who dared to talk about exterminating the Corsairs on Gran Canaria.
But, alas, she was here in official capacity. So, she only faintly smiled at her thoughts and continued to listen.
Megaera walked with the Zoner woman to a a more private location, not knowing what she wanted from her. When they were out of range of possible listeners, she turned to her.
"This must be very important. I was just enjoying this."
Voncloud simply crossed his arms, alot of the talk was all fine, everyone saying their piece and all of it was in line with their people and purpose, then one who he presumed was from the Core spoke up, and he looked over keeping a calm demeanour.
"yes of course the attack on Freeport 11, i was there, let me remeber how that went about, oh yes a base was built, right next to the Freeport, without consulting the administration first, and whoever built it decided to call it the same name as the Orders main ship yard, which brought much ire from them as we saw since Porta Carthage became the main target for those joint fleets"
He looks around and scratches his head
"Im just..trying to remember who built that base...oh wait a moment..wasnt it...wasnt it..Oh yes it was, The Core, thats right i remember now..the attack you reference to devalue our desire to be neutral..was your fault..not ours, funny that, situations a little similar here don't you think"
"Thanks for coming along. In case you didn't realize yet.." She handed her a small card with "Inq. Darkness" on it. Grinning at the woman. "No surprise I am here. Just wanted to inform you that you are not alone in case of things heating up. Several agents wait outside. Oh.. and.. good work so far."The Inquisitor didn't bother to wait for a reply and simply walked off. Returning to the crowd, picking herself a glass of wine to enjoy.
![[Image: ISZ6Ws9.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ISZ6Ws9.png)
