Major yet again turned at the Core delegate, responding in a sour tone. "If we're talking about that Carthage, the one that was built in Freeport-11's vicinity - clearly, it was nothing but a provocation. Also, you appear to be ignoring what I am saying."
He then slowly turned at a confused kusarian girl. By that moment, his voice already sounded a bit tired. With a small sigh, he replied. "Major Grachov, delegate from the Sirius Coalition Expeditionary Corps."
(10-13-2023, 12:51 AM)Haste Wrote: This is a feature as most Discovery players would not receive a response from women.
The delegation got ushered towards the entrance and upon arrival Doctor Hollidays security would look expectantly at the Bretonian soldiers, awaiting them to hand over their weapons. The Lieutenant in charge turned to Davis for direction
You know what chaps, why don't you wait out here. Don't worry, I'm still wearing that tag you insist on me having so I won't go wandering off, and I'm sure if there's an incident the good Doctor's security will allow you to assist them.
He hurried through before they could complain too loudly. Wonderful, he thought, now Diplomacy may resume. He spotted Holiday quickly, making his way directly towards.
Doctor Holiday, thank you for hosting this arrangement this evening. I'm aware of the commotion that Her Majesty's Ship Stirling has caused, it is my hope we will be able to resolve this tonight and ensure a peaceful resolution for all. I did not want it to turn out this way, but my duty to my home and the people I represent compels me to speak to those assembled here. Again, I thank you.
He shook the doctors hand, moving to find himself a seat in the congregation. He sat for a while, watching and listening to people's reactions. Finally, he stood, making his way to the front. A silence seemed to spread across the room. A mixture of emotions flowed throughout the room, and angry, expectant, demanding eyes followed him. He gently picked a glass of water to sip from, clearing his throat.
Please allow me to introduce myself. Richard Davis, Permanent Secretary of the Home Office of the United Kingdom of Great Bretonia..
He trailed off, smiling lightly to himself
I realise that title must come as a joke to some of you. As a house, we are nothing if not traditional...
I would like to very lightly touch upon the old treaty. The Port Jackson treaty that my overzealous colleague has been discussing with such vigour.
He glanced at the Steiner sitting in the darkened corner
Whilst so brazenly stated, he is correct in that when the Council of Zoners - heaven knows where he got the Cee Oh Eff from - was disbanded, when it ceased to be I mean, the treaty became null and void, as one signatory, and hence enforcer of the treaty, ceased to be. May I remind every honourable gentleman and gentlewoman in this room though, that Bretonia continued to respect the sovereignty and independence of the Zoners, not just in Omega 49, but also the Zoners of Freeport 1 in Omega 3. May I also draw to people's attention that we also sent aid ourselves to Freeport 11 when it was attacked by a N E M P device. Our struggles in Bretonia have been long and hard, but my point is that even whilst we are on our backsides, fighting to defend our home, we have always respected our friends and neighbours in the Zoner community.
He stopped, taking a sip of water to clear his throat
We can argue this point all night. I know there are those that disagree but I feel that best path forward is to renegotiate our respective positions. Before I go into that though, I wish to share a bit of truth with you. As a number of you have already commented on, you see a Bretonian warship that has set a course for your homes. You quite rightly comment that it is sent by a house that finds its backs against the wall. What you don't know, is that it was ordered by a house scared for it's safety. It was ordered by men and women, who through their fear, believe the only way to secure their safety and that of their families, is to ensure a safe haven to escape to. There are those voices that suggest we should take this land by force..
He took a sip of the water as the voices grew in anger
Yes, yes, I understand. And this, ladies and gentlemen, was MY exact reaction when this was brought before parliament. The Home Office issued the immediate order to halt any operations in the system. We are Bretonian, we have long respected the Zoners independence and we do not wish to encroach upon that. However, I would be a fool to state that this was the end of our interest here. Nay, Bretonia's people must have somewhere safe to fall back to, and we, as the Government of the Bretonian people, have a duty of care to our citizens. This is why we would propose a new treaty, where the division of land is redefined, where the laws of the system are re-written by the influential parties. That no one member holds total control. Our suggestion, is that Bretonia, the Coalition, and chosen Representatives of the Zoners, such as Doctor Holiday, come together to negotiate the terms of the future of the system, so that no-one, not Bretonian, not Zoner, not Coaltion, is snubbed by any other group.
As for the corsair problem, Mr Steiner is right. We cannot allow the Corsairs to remain, not with the threats being so casually thrown around. Despite this, we are willing to agree that the civilian population, that being farmers and private traders, be allowed to trade with the Zoner population centres, though this of course will all be discussed in a private negotiation over the treaty itself.
I understand there will be questions, so I welcome them, and thank you for allowing me a chance to speak.
He bowed his head in respect, before taking a step back from the podium
//My apologies it took me so long to write this. I can only work on these posts after work. I get home at 18:00 Mon-Fri, so if people can try and be patient with me, and my apologies if I missed anything in the hundreds of messages! Many thanks all
Ivan nodded to Richard Davis.
Mister Richard, the debate became rather heated before your arrival, it is refreshing to see a Bretonian representative finally talking some sense.
The Coalition can get behind your proposal to divide the land of Gran Canaria, however before any treaty can be signed, mister Doc Holliday needs to give his opinion.
If Bretonia wants to have a permanent presence in Omega 49, some compromises will have to be made, you seem well aware of this.
Before you arrived, comrade Grachov proposed the creation of a spatial colony run by the Bretonian government, the Coalition offered to help fund the construction of the base with our only demand being having a representative on board, considering we have a standing non aggression pact.
Personally I think this is the best option for everybody in this room today as it presents the following benefits:
Bretonia gets a permanent foothold in Omega 49.
The Zoners get to keep their planet as it is.
The Coalition will get representation aboard the colony.
The Corsairs planetside won't have to worry about Bretonian invasion, and your own troops won't have to worry about fighting them, when their efforts can be better used against Gallia.
The Mollys will be allowed to conduct their business in the system as usual thanks to the no fire zone and neutral status of the system.
The installation won't have a military nature, so fears of Bretonian annexation will be put to rest.
This will prevent most if not all bloodshed.
However, if Bretonia must insist on occupying land on Gran Canaria, probably secured by military force, our demands will be a little higher, logically.
If we start to divide the land, the Coalition will want an embassy planetside, fertile lands on which to grow the crops to feed our population back in New Moscow and industrial land for development purposes.
If we go this route...
Ivan stares the Corsair representative in the eyes.
...The Corsairs will have to go, one way or the other.
This is an unrefined version of the Coalition's interests in the matter, the finer points of such a treaty should be decided upon by the Crown and the State Duma in accordance with Doc Holliday.
Now, if everyone would just give our host a chance to have a say in the matter.
Megaera sat down next to the corsair woman and started talking to her while looking at the new Bretonians
"You also getting tired of all this? You take care of one of them and more of these insects come through the door. You try to play nice and meet their enquiries and then the new guy starts all over again. Your silence says more than your words could ever do."
Megaera offers her a glass of wine from the table.
"I am losing my patience with this bunch. In the end chaos shall flow, with this summit just being a raft on its currents. It will topple over and its passengers shall drown in it."
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Doc wasn't stupid. He figured that this boiling point would get reached. When the threat was made against not so much him but his daughter, he took a stronger tone and left the podium, walking amongst the delegates. He stopped first at Junius and looked him straight in the face. "Then so be it," he stated. "Kill the only person who uses reason and offers the only glimmer of hope there is? Not a wise move for anyone." He shot a quick look toward Emiko before finishing, "And that young lady can well hold her own." He continued walking.
"Yes, Bretonia is losing. They already have a planet they can move to in Omega 3, a planet that most of us have no interest in."
He then approached Richard Davis. "The Corsairs will stay here. Many Corsair people have taken up a peaceful life on this planet producing food and bringing it to their people. Think of it, if they have the food they need to live, they are less apt to take extreme measures. Your issues with them are just that, your issues. None of us would be here if that ship had not shown up in this system. If I remember correctly, foreign capital ships in Bretonian space are illegal. I would think that you would return that respect as you can see the trouble that it is creating.
He walked among them. The Order, the Core, the Revolution, speaking. "I personally know only what my medical teams told me of what went on at Freeport 11 and Port Carthage. Right now, that issue is irrelevant but it is another example of when someone, even a rogue Zoner, builds an installation or brings a capital ship with ill intentions into Zoner space, space which is visited by many. In short, it never ends well as they attract unwanted attention."
"I opened my home up to you all," he continued, "in hopes that we could put differences aside to solve a problem. Mr. Davis, you want a re-negotiation of a treaty here because the group that signed it is no more. I personally would rather not directly deal with the Bretonian Crown on such a project. Between the bloodshed at Freeport 1 when I attempted that negotiation and the fact that your own Queen told me once that I am not educated enough to handle such things." He snickered at the thought and mumbled, "Five languages and three doctorates and I am not educated enough." He snickered again before continuing. "As I said, those who have made a home on this planet have co-existed for some time now. Corsair farmers, Bretonian refugees, Junkers, Molly traders and corporate traders are but a few. I have walked amongst them all, played cards and drank with them. All it started with was extending a little respect."
He returned to Mr. Davis. "If the Crown has halted all operation in the system then make a good will gesture and recall that ship. Then and only then will you see some tensions ease and the possibility of a negotiation begin. The Zoners live here in harmony with people that you despise of and Bretonian refugees. Until recently, it has been quiet. So like I said, withdraw the ship and perhaps you may get the face to face you seek. As to whom with, well, that is the call of the administrators of the system, the Omicron Supply Industries."
Doc then made his way over to where Alessa was. He wanted to be close but not make it obvious that they were an item.
« I am glad to hear some more reasonable proposals.
Omega-49 can indeed host more refugees.
I would support the construction of a civilian base to host Bretonian refugees. I think it's the easiest solution to manage a safe haven for Bretonians. And I am pretty sure I The Seraphim would help with the construction of the station if this option is chosen.
I understand there is a security matter here: the Bretonians feel unsafe in omega-49 due to the presence of the Corsairs.
What I propose is that the Bretonians would have some military or police forces based on the station to protect it against threats. This special force could patrol around the station and escort convoys of supplies and refugees going to or coming from the station.
At the same time, the zoners will negotiate a cease-fire valid for omega-49 only between the Corsairs and Bretonian.
This way the Bretonian people will be safe from the Corsairs threat in omega-49.
The Stirling battleship will return to Bretonia where it will be used in a more efficient way against Gallia.
At the end of the conflict between Bretonia and Gallia, the Bretonian will evacuate the station, dismantle it or sell it to an interested party. It should be clear that for now, this station is a temporary solution to the current situation faced by Bretonia.
Now, there are a few elements I would like to comment:
The zoners own this system, and there is actually no reason we change that. I really don't think omega-49 can be split between the present parties without a huge compensation for zoners. And so far I did not hear anything about such compensation. Zoners are peaceful people by nature, but if you make too much pressure on them, they will fight. If you know zoner history you know it has already happened in the past.
Banning the Corsairs from omega-49 is irrelevant for several reasons. First, they won't comply. As mentioned before, the Corsairs will immediately attack those who want to remove them from the system. Do you really want to see a Corsair battleship in omega-49? Second, banned corsairs will mostly turn to illegal activities against Bretonia and other parties. Do we really need that? Third, as I just said, the Zoners own the system and live in peace with Corsairs on Gran Canaria. We have no reason to ban them.
Finally, what happened in omicron-delta or omega-3 is out of topic regarding the present discussion. These stories are independent of what is going on in omega-49. So let's focus on the topic of this summit.
Well, I've made a proposal, so I would like we build on it. Please, zoners, Bretonians comment it.»
Loud voices and other awkward sounds got through the closed door of Doc's home.
Hans followed the private invation he received. "Listening doesn't hurt anyone and who know's maybe I'll get an update about the current events. Goeben, you don't know anything." He only thought. Hans was basically out of any diplomacy, stood hidden from most eyes for a longer time and did some personal stuff and work here and there.
The brown door immediately opened and Terry, a security officer of Med Force Enterprises, who worked for Hans in earlier days nodded slightly and displayed Hans to listen. In the room he noticed many different faces and uniforms. At the distance Hans spotted Doc Holliday and Alessa. Terry instructed him about the security precautions and after that Hans made his way towards his collegues near the bar. The beer, he was quickly picking up was cold and by far, tasty. With a little confusing expression in his face he was unsure about where he should stand. Luckily it was only for some seconds as Alessa signed him to come. Doc and Alessa listened to Dankien's speech, so he thought it might be better for a greeting after he finished it. Trying to figure out the complete proposal of the speech he continued pleasuring his delicous beer.
Dia smiled politely at the girl who had approached her. Refusing the wine with a polite gesture, she signaled her to lean in closer. "Stone is silent, glass rings at the slightest touch," she whispered, then leaned back, clearly indicating that the conversation was over.
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