Townley had listened to the Gallic delegate and checked her datapad once more before she rose to answer his question, looking around shortly to the group.
"Esteemed delegate, I have received information from the Outcasts themselves who've contacted us with this. It seems that during their Siege of Guild Installations in the System of Tau 37, they encountered multiple vessels belonging to the Enclave that seem to be fighting beside the guild and assisting them in their defense. Due to previous happenings that we are all quite aware of, our analysts have deemed this to be credible evidence of the Guild working with the Enclave terrorists."
She hit a couple of buttons on the datapad and prepared to send the picture proof to the other delegates to view.
"I can provide the visual evidence to the Conference members who can then decide for themselves what it is they think of this evidence."
She then sent out the evidence for viewing by the delegates.
"What you do with this evidence, or how you rate it is up to each and every member of the delegations, but personally I see a Guild that eventhough deeming these Terrorists as such, working with them once more."
She then laid the datapad back down onto the table and sat down.
Schneider idly stroked her chin as she listened to the other delegates, before quietly clearing her throat to speak again.
"I am not sure if Ms Townley here is expecting an explanation or simply making a statement. Yes, there are scattered Enclave forces in the Taus, where they are fighting against the Outcast menace as we are. Needless to say with the resources and attention we've spent elsewhere, we cannot fight them as effectively as in decades past.
The Outcasts have launched a new major offensive against us and without the presence of the Enclave forces, may well end up overrunning us. So I'm sure you'll understand that we can't exactly afford to tell them to piss off, if you'll pardon my language - at least not without other arrangements for the safety of our Tau holdings. This is a struggle for survival to us."
She glances over the other participants, her gaze lingering a moment longer on the Maltese delegation, before giving a brief shrug of resignation and continuing.
"Now as I am understanding Mr Redmond's explanation, there seems to be a willingness to include the Guild in a multilateral peace treaty between the nations and other participants. Of course we welcome this; with the Aland ultimatum and all the endless aftereffects it created, we consider the Guild to have been a victim of the greater war, one we had no desire to be part of.
Just as we have expressed understanding for Bretonia's position which led to the ultimatum, so too do we hope to be recognized as a defensive party to the conflict that should be treated as such diplomatically."
No barbarous public execution ? - Pierre turned to d'Argenlieu while Townley was pressing the buttons of her device. - You surprise me, Contre-amiral. I still remember the parade Charles' son had throughout the Crown-controlled media a few years ago. Whole families of suspected rebels caged in and gunned down mercilessly on screen and in front of live audience. It's a pleasant surprise to see even the aristocracy can improve. - he couldn't wait for the other's response as Townley continued her speech. It's uncertain if anyone else heard him or not.
The shared evidence was intriguing, Pierre took some extra time to inspect them while listening to Schneider's monologue. One detail, a half sentence, however, drawn his attention.
With the Aland ultimatum ? - he stood up and asked, not hiding his surprise. - Excusez-moi, I was under the impression the Guild has been a victim of the greater war ever since the Gallic Royal Navy seized two of their bases in the Tau Region, Java and Holman, over seven years ago. The Guild asking for our and Crayter's help while offering Roussillon and assistance in the cooperative development of a save haven on Toulouse did indeed help forming that impression in me, and that the Guild, albeit against their will, eventually embraced the situation and tried to get the best out of it. For long we agreed to tolerate the royalist presence in the proximity of your assets and avoided being seen together with you in order to keep the GRN's ire from turning against you, because in return the Guild aided us when the royalists did not look.
That apparently changed when the Guild finally developed some sort of Stockholm-syndrome, began defying the defensive, Sirian side of the war and associating themselves with their occupiers, all this so bluntly and overtly, I dare to say carelessly, as to provide ample evidence of it both pre- and post-war. Last month with the GRI, this month with the Enclave. - now with a concluding tone slowly turning accusing, Pierre pointed towards his device with the visual evidence displayed on its screen. He then turned towards Escudero, his tone considerably turning more hostile the more he speaks to the Consul.
And you ? Maltese forces attacking an IMG installation while we sit here supposedly discussing terms of peace reeks of backstabbing and makes me question my expectations regarding outcasts. I can't help but feel naive to agree to negotiate with you, after all history and experience already proven why you got that nickname from the rest of Sirius, and you seem to act no differently today either, as if you couldn't change what's inherently part of your nature. So why are you here today ?
He looked around the rest of the delegates, took a deep breath to calm a bit down, and addressed them with his last, likely rhetorical, question before sitting down: - If promises spoken here end up empty, be it the claim to aim for peace or the condemnation of the Enclave, then why even are we here ?
LaFlamme having finished his statement, Schneider turned her attention to him again.
"You bring up some legitimate questions, general, and I would like to address them.
Although the events you describe now lie many years past and predate my time in the Guild, I'm quite familiar with the history, but please correct me if you believe I am misrepresenting anything.
When the minefield was breached and the Council took refuge in the Barrier, the Guild felt compelled to assist a group exiled by the ravages of civil war and tyranny from a house we knew nothing about. That is a matter of deeply held ideological conviction for us, since the Guild's raison d'être is to accommodate those who wish to leave the sphere of the houses. Though, I don't think any Guildsperson saw it as taking sides in a conflict we had only just learned about - simply an outreach to a people under duress.
And to give indirect support to those fighting the invasion, Crayter and Council alike, came naturally as well - ultimately, despite how things turned out, we were always opposed to the imperialist motive and would have rather seen the invasion stopped than succeed.
But although we certainly weren't happy about the administrative controls the Kingdom enacted on our Tau stations, they did not affect our day-to-day business of mining in any major fashion, and the level of involvement we held before - affected, but distant, with an interest but without participation - certainly changed with Aland."
She sighs deeply before continuing, her brow furrowed.
"No matter how we had chosen to act in that situation, it would constitute a level of involvement we did not previously have. Whether we agreed to give up the shipyard willingly for the war effort, or, as we ended up deciding, resisted the annexation openly, we would be a participant on a greater level than before. Now, you can criticize us for the decisions we made, but for all we knew Bretonia could have been days away from unconditional surrender and we would have lost the entirety of our Tau holdings to a victorious Gallic Crown, had we yielded.
Hindsight is perfect, Mr LaFlamme. I can't really comment on accusations of Stockholm syndrome, I don't have the psychological education for that level of analysis, and I don't think it would help us advance the current peace effort anyway. As the conflict continued we acted with the strategic information we had, as we judged to be the best for our survival."
Steiner at this point at lost interest in the nitpicking, sabrewaving and general pointlessness of both the IMG and the Council. He turned to Admiral Redmond and whispered into the man's ear It is time we make our case to the Duchy directly and leave, the other two aren't important. It had become more apparent to him that few north of Tau were interested in the Moral issues that sat directly out the window, as such he decided it was time to be concluding the meeting with what Bretonia could get, which wasn't much, and then leave with as little fuss as possible.
He looked at Nivaggioni and D'Argenlieu Gentlemen, how you punish those within your borders is your business, as it is our business to punish those who are within our borders. Now, if you are interested in putting all this behind us we would ask that some form of apology be given, if only to show your willingness to...distance yourselves from the acts committed. I don't think that such a request is all that unreasonable. If you agree, then that would see the end of all demands.
Consul Riley had been listening patiently as the delegations went back and forth, nobody willing to give an inch. He had given up even trying to keep everyone on the agenda. Though the conference had started well at the beginning of the day, everyone was starting to dig in their heels, and at this point in the day, no further progress was being made. He was getting tired and finally had enough. Just as Steiner finished speaking, Riley stood to speak.
"Gentlemen, we have gone well off the planned agenda, and are quickly going nowhere at this point. Every one of you chose to come here in the hopes of securing an agreement to end the war. We started off on the right track, but now we're quickly getting nowhere. If there's to be a peace of any kind, every one of you needs to give something. Since we need something to get us back on track, I propose the following, in addition to what's already been decided."
Riley tapped a few keys on the console in front of him. A short list of hastily-written points appeared on everyone's screen.
All sides repatriate all captured civilians and military personnel, excluding those who freely choose to remain.
Each nation tries all war criminals under their jurisdiction. Other nations may send observers to ensure fair and just proceedings.
Gallia accepts responsibility for enabling King Charles' worst excesses, but does not take direct blame for any of the actions ordered by King Charles. Bretonia accepts this compromise as a condition of further negotiation.
IMG gives up claims to Aland Shipyard and renounces further dealings with the Enclave in exchange for peace with Crayter and Bretonia.
Crayter and Bretonia agree to end hostilities with the Guild and reopen trade access.
The IMG offers raw materials for reconstruction to Bretonia at discounted, but still profitable rates.
Bretonia agrees to honor the terms of the Treaty of Curacao and help rebuild Freeport 4 once the IMG stabilises relations with Liberty.
All sides agree to borders, yet to be negotiated, both in the Taus and the Hébrides in order to prevent future border skirmishes.
All sides agree to terms and conditions for opening cross-border trade between the signatories.
"Now, gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, it's been a long day. I think we all need to step away from the table for a bit to get a decent meal and a good night's sleep. We can pick this up again in the morning. I would ask all of you to consider the above points as a springboard for further discussion."
Once Riley finished speaking, he picked up the gavel and adjourned the conference for the day. The Octavarian delegation then walked away from the table and over towards the buffet that the Leviathan's staff had prepared. Privately, Riley was still hopeful an agreement would be reached. All the delegations were still here and still talking, so he considered that a good sign. Hopefully the following day would see fresh progress, or even a proper agreement.
After the first day of negotiations, the six delegations attempted to finish a treaty in several days of closed sessions, but despite the groundwork laid, they were ultimately unable to reach an agreement and everyone went home. Each power's diplomatic services saw the potential in the groundwork laid, however, and remained in contact behind the scenes and continued to work to build a treaty. Diplomats, aides, and attaches worked tirelessly to build a document that would lay the groundwork for a lasting peace. Finally, when everyone had an agreement they could live with, the Leviathan returned to Leeds, and the delegates were invited back to sign the treaty.
The IMG and Maltese delegations did not return, the former had signed a bilateral agreement with Bretonia and had no further interest in the Conference, while the latter had yet another government collapse, leaving a power vacuum and nobody with the authority or the interest to represent Malta as a whole. The remaining four delegations, from Bretonia, Gallia, Crayter, and Natio Octavarium, had returned along with news media from each of the four powers and beyond. There had been one change in the Gallic delegation since the previous meeting. Since General LaFlamme's untimely death, Aubert Giroux now represented the Republique of Gallia. Consul John Riley, as the host of the conference, stood to address the other delegates, the media, and everyone across Sirius.
"When we first met aboard this vessel, so soon after fighting came to an end, people across Sirius said that what we were attempting here was impossible. That we would not be able to put aside a decade of mistrust and attain a workable peace. I never believed that. I chose to believe that we could rise above the violence, the chaos, and the unfathomable loss of the last decade, and take our first steps back to reforging the long-broken bonds of peace and friendship that our forebears in the Western Alliance once enjoyed. It brings me great pride to see that faith rewarded. With the signing of this treaty, we lay the foundations of a better future for ourselves and our posterity."
After Riley finished speaking, he picked up his pen off the table and signed the treaty on behalf of Natio Octavarium.
The Leviathan Accords of 826/742
Preamble
With a view to end all conflict between the legally recognised Nation of Gallia (New official name pending) and the nations collectively known as the Allies - The Kingdom of Bretonia, the Crayter Republic, and Natio Octavarium. This settlement excludes the Enclave and hostilities will continue. The Republic of Liberty may at its discretion, sign a separate agreement with the Nation of Gallia.
Below is a settlement to be agreed by all parties to formally resolve items that are cause for continued hostility and provide the framework for further normalisation of relations through further agreements.
I. From the Allies, to Gallia
The Allies concedes that the Nation of Gallia recognised legally by the Allies, is a successor state to the now defunct Kingdom of Gallia, and its military forces are not responsible for actions during the war, with the majority of the current forces being either former Council units, home guard units or units that refused to engage in war crimes and left the forces now known as the Enclave.
A. In effect, the Allies absolve the Gallic Provisional Navy (Official name pending) of any wrong-doing, preventing claims for compensation in this regard.
The Allies agree to return Gallic Naval prisoners of war, provided they be screened on return for military misconduct or war crimes - prisoners found guilty of war crimes must be processed by a joint Allied-Gallic court.
The Allies agree not to copy, reuse or steal Gallic military weaponry or ship design, and all wrecks found in Sirius are to be melted down to base components for reuse in ship production. The Allies do not guarantee wrecks will be safe from illegal salvage or other houses or organisations making claim to the wrecks, but will make best effort to prevent it.
The Allies agree to open negotiations for Gallic Corporations to operate in Allied space, however as stipulated in 2.A, these corporations must settle accounts with allies before any such right is granted.
II. From Gallia, to the Allies
The Nation of Gallia, as a successor state to the Kingdom of Gallia, recognises that while its current military has had no direct involvement in the war crimes that took place in Bretonia, it has a responsibility to find and bring to justice anyone who may have been involved, including members of the command structure in place on Gallic home-planets. Anyone found complicit will be put to trial in a Gallic court and dealt with appropriately.
a. Furthermore, Gallic corporations that operated in Bretonia recognise they have some responsibility to compensate Bretonia economically for stolen resources and for being complicit in hostile acts. Claims against Gallic corporations will be handled on a case-to-case basis, and the Nation of Gallia will not deny them, providing they are reasonable in nature, are provided ample time to fulfil compensation, and not crippling to the Gallic economy.
The Nation of Gallia agrees to return Allied military prisoners of war, provided they be screened on return for military misconduct or war crimes - prisoners found guilty of war crimes must be processed by a joint Allied-Gallic court.
The Nation of Gallia agrees to repatriate all Allied citizens abducted from Leeds or elsewhere without delay, providing affected citizens with a nominal sum of credits or good of value to assist them in rebuilding their lives.
The Nation of Gallia agrees to open negotiations for Allied Corporations to operate in Gallic space.
III. Borders
The Edinburgh (Aquitaine) system shall be under the sole jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Bretonia.
The Brittany (Orkney) system shall be under the sole jurisdiction of Nation of Gallia.
The status of the Tau-31 system is subject to bilateral negotiations between the Kingdom of Bretonia and the Crayter Federal Republic. Nothing in these accords shall be taken to contradict or supersede any treaty or agreement signed between those two powers.
The Roussillon (Tau-115) system shall be under the joint jurisdiction of the Crayter Federal Republic and Natio Octavarium.
The System of Tau-23, with respect to historical border conflicts and further conflict potential as a result of the system being the convergence point of multiple signatories of this agreement, the status of the system is rendered pending.
While the Crayter delegation returned to the Leviathan, a new figurehead was to take the place of the old for the occasion. Lisa Combes read over the document, nodding in approval and, without much delay, put her own name to the paper on behalf of the Republic.
"May this usher in another era of prosperity for all of us.." she said, adding another line under her breath, ".. and may God help us if it fails."
Steiner wordlessly wrote his signature down. Firmly disbelieving any talk of 'future prosperity' or anything of the sort, he knew the storm this would cause. But at least it ended the conference and gave Bretonia options.
William Frederick Volker Steiner
QC
His signature now in place, all he wanted to do was leave and inform the rest of the Government of their options. But nothing was set without Gallia's signature, as such, he had to wait. Just to be sure.
The retired amiral and the young barroness crossed eyes for what seemed to be ages to the now impatient delegation. A million words were exchanged in those eyes. Then the amiral nodded and the barroness committed her signature to paper.
Meanwhile, the ever-oleaginous Nivaggioni took the cue, signed and retreated, an elusive smile on his face. "To new beginnings and new opportunities !" he sang joyously, in a more or less deliberate way of breaking the tension.
(06-14-2019, 12:25 PM)Sombra Hookier Wrote: If everyone was a bit more like Lanakov, the entire world would be more positive. Including pregnancy tests.