To: Gallic Government

[Zephyranthes]

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Nouveau message Entrant
Des Syndicats
Pour La Famille Bonaparte
Patron Maximilien Bonaparte

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To the loyal servants of His Illustrious Majesty, King Charles XI, by the Grace of God, King of Gallia and of The Greater Taus,

May our glorious liege rule long and wisely. I beseech you to heed the wise and humble counsel of the loyal families of l'Unione Corse, specifically those who call His system of Provence home.

As you may know, a calamitous battle has taken place in our azure home. His most loyal soldiers of the Marine Royale have vanquished many of the vile forces that plot the fall of His reign on the cusp of glory and victory in Sirius. Unfortunately, such a conflict has left the system littered with many wrecks and thrown our once-thriving resort home into utter disarray and chaos. Ne'er-do-wells have seen fit to seize power with the undeserving and pompous 'Minarchy', ousting previous, rightful nobility from the space.

As I, and other concerned Corse citizens, understand it, the Marine Royale is presently engaged in great conquest and fighting with enemies both far and near. To divert more vessels and manpower to such a problem like in Provence would be... disadvantageous for His Majesty's finest. Instead, Les Syndicats de la Brise de Mer, a humble concern from Planet Marseille, would like to propose an alternative: Given our influence and high standing in the system, we are more than willing to let the fools of the Minarchy spin their wheels and lies. We will work to ensure that they do not take any sort of action against the Gallic Crown, which will be especially easy with their sole focus on a pathetic excuse for a navy. We will also ensure they do not offer any sort of active support to the Crown's enemies. We do this on behalf of our loyalty to the Crown, and a desire to see it prosper.

Ensuring stability and prosperity in the system will require a restrained hand, however. We prostrate ourselves before His Majesty's grace and wisdom to refrain from deploying great military or police force in Provence, given the delicate situation. We shall ensure His will is respected in the place of His official agents. L'Unione Corse has served the Kingdom of Gallia faithfully for centuries. Let us continue to serve just as well.

Merci beaucoup.

[Lanakov]

Chancellerie royale

Adressed to : monsieur le patron Maximilien Bonaparte, syndicat de la Brise de Mer, Unione Corse


The transmission opens with a radiant, golden Fleur de lys on a royal blue background. Henri-François de Suffren appears on the screen, with remarkable intensity in the eyes.

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 ?

A prestu,
Henri-François de Suffren, comte du Loiret, Chancelier de Gaule
Chancellerie Royale

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If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.