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Doc stood up while Voncloud spoke and took a few steps away in thought with his finger scratching his lower lip. He paced a little as he spoke and nodded his head. He was right in all he said. He was standing behind Jill looking at her from behind in thought. This was her station and she was raising a child on it. He really didn't want to sign the agreement but the base, Jill and his people hung in the balance as was the whole reason it was built....to take care of the people on Pygar. He knew for fact that the Outcast response was going to be at the very least a problem. It was evident to all present as he stepped around behind his chair that he was disturbed. He then looked toward Javier and Cesar.
"Gentleman, Senor Voncloud is correct in what he says," he began, pointing in the direction of Freeport 9. "That base has been a lighting rod since its construction." He then moved his arm to point towards the jump hole the led to Omicron Alpha "and that Jump hole has been why." He then put his arm down and contained himself. "The Outcasts were not the only ones who gathered outside of Freeport 9 to lead their raids into Gamma but they were the ones most fingered. We have seen Core, Bounty Hunters and even house military ships doing that as well. I do not personally care for any of them out here but they will come and go. I see a no dock as only throwing gasoline on a fire."
He walked by Jerard and gave him a pat on the shoulder before he continued. He was a man that Doc respected. "Dr. Xi has a facility to run, I am trying to maintain a growing medical enterprise out here where people from all over will come to learn medicine, not combat and I really do not want Corsairs interfering with those people even if they do not like them. They are our clients and may well save a Corsair life one day under the Hippocratic Oath which all take. I also take into account the Zoners now living on Pygar which was the initial reason why we came here in the first place." He turned to Jerard, "so long as Zoner people live there, we are not going anywhere and I will look to re-establishing service in Omega 48 as well since Canaria Medical pretty much died."
He addressed all. "I still have my concerns about the effects of those who cannot be here for this summit in the Taus. Administrator Chara of Freeport 6 and the staff of Freeport 10 who will no doubt have to deal with Outcast response to this and it will not take long for them to figure out what transpired here." He took out his tablet. "This agreement is far from perfect but I see it as necessary." He then signed the treaty and looked over at the Corsair delegates with a bit a anger as he controlled his known-to-be-hot temper. "I do hope this will be the last time we meet under these circumstances because there will be before mentioned groups who will be complaining to us about it shortly no doubt.." He then took his seat and sighed. He looked at Jill, wondering if he had just done the wrong thing.
Celcius once again kept to herself as the treaty was getting signed, whilst Doc and Voncloud had their more heated words about the situation. She had been taking notes, heeding the words of all those who had spoken before her. She couldn't help but mentally shake her head as hotter minds were allowed to prevail. After a few more notes as well as waiting for Doc She cleared her throat choosing to remain sat.
"Gentlemen. Though I understand the feeling of inevitability with this Signing, it does Surprise me that I need to remind Mr Holiday and Mr Voncloud that the Corsair Empire has long considered Theta part of their protectorate. If I remember my history correctly there was a similar treaty in place to the one we are being asked to sign today"
She puts her hands together leaning forward and resting her chin on the bridge of fingers.
"The way i see it, we are just refreshing an age old agreement between Zoner's and Corsairs in order to reset the Status Quo. Yes there are revisions such as having a joint operation of Freeport 9 and No docking of outcasts in Theta, but outside of that how is this Treaty any different to what we had before this conflict began?"
Celcius leans back in her chair resting her hands on her lap
"I also seem to need to remind you that this isn't the first time there has been conflict between our peoples but that we have also had conflicts with the Core and the Order at different times. The Corsair's have been our allies as well as our enemies in various conflicts. Freeport 11 is a Prime Example of how the sides have changed many times"
She sits straight taking her tablet
"You maybe right that there is no real alternative to signing. But what you have to realise is, we are signing this as a sign of Good Faith. IM signing this with Faith that the Corsair's will keep their word. Is it a Risk? Absolutely it is. But that is part and partial of the life we try to live as Zoner's. And sometimes-"
Celcius signs her name onto the treaty with a flourish
Following everyone else's talking and signing of the treaty, Cesar starts feeling an increased loss of patience, but being the last piece of puzzle in this, he knows must not throw fuel on fire with his aggression, not this close to the end. It's finally his turn to sign the document. Still sitting on his chair, he starts glaring at Zoner representatives, especially von Cloud with a hint of annoyance. Cesar doesn't seem to be a fond of his attitude. Yet, he still has some words to share with them:
"I will choose to pretend I didn't hear certain remarks just now. There is doubt and untrust, that much is clear. But don't think for a second that I find this ideal either, but rather something that will in long term work better than any alternatives I could think of. I shared necessary statements and reasons already, so I won't repeat myself. Keep your part of the deal and I will keep my part of the deal. It's as simple as that."
He pulls a pen out of his pocket to sign the document. "Senores y senoras, it is time to put this to an end, so we can all go home, play our roles and hopefully fix this mess sooner than later. My hermanos will be informed of the outcome as soon as I depart this installation and they will begin preparations. I have nothing else to say, other than good luck"
Finally, with a few motions of his hand, Cesar's signature is written on the document. He turns to Javier and gives him a nod, hinting him to proceed with finalizing this meeting.
After everybody had his time to sign, and say they'r worlds. Javier, with the legs crossed and the hands over the table, clapped his hands with a slow but elegant move and smiled.
I would not say, times will be easy, we do have work to do, and thousands depends on us. But this is the begging, of a stronger relation. Old mistakes and conflicts will need some time to heal, but as always in live, when the dust settles, we will see the horizon again. Ladies and gentleman's, With a movement he do raises from the chair and in a moment, looks over all the members of the table. we decided here, our future. We choose peace and prosperity, over blood and vengeance. Our sons deserve a future, and we will work, together, to make it happen.
Walks around the table, with an elegant step, looking at the floor
It will be harsh, we live in a harsh place in the end. Some may not like it, and some may even dare to fight us, even more, some, after watching how we will prosper, will even join the cause.
Raises his right arm, moving his pointing finger, swinging it. We must secure, this treaty stands as a lighthouse of peace, prosperity, economical growth and future. There is no space for failure, and im sure the future will reserve for himself some surprises for us all here present.
Javier, walks to a door in one side of the room, presses the console and it opens showing another meeting hall with some round, separated tables and dishes of all sorts.
Thanks you all for the meeting, and no meeting shall end, without a good fest. Courtesy of Crete, I did not take many advisors with me but Chefs from Crete's palace. They worked hard in long shifts to prepare us all the best deals one could dream from the typical Corsair cuisine. With a politely smile, Winks an eye to Jill Xi And I would never accomplished it without the help of some lady that also worker hard to make this possible.
I do not pretend to buy anyone with this, but to feast for the ones who are not with us anymore, Walks behind Orlov, putting his hands over the chair May deux take all they'r souls into they'r glory, and praise for us all here, who will need all help to prosper. He leaves with a slow movement walking to the door of the banquete-hall.
Feast, for the future, for the prosperity, and for us all here who choose future, and decided to leave behind the conflicts, for the good of us all!
With a smile, he waits for the rest to walk in and start a joint dinner with staff members of the meeting parties, and others. After the feast, Javier returned to his bedroom at the Academy, to prepare for the travel back home, to his beloved Crete. He expend some time, alone, in silence, preparing his suitcase. He did sleep in the station for a few hours before departure, in a lonely night, thinking in the future, in his family, his daughters...
Thinking to himself, in the way back to Crete. I wish to see you again, mis pequeñas... You deserve a bright future.
<Virtus unita fortior, Deterrence> Francisco Javier de Creta
As they stood there, bathed in the dim light of the empty conference room, Jill felt a sense of accomplishment wash over her. The weight of the day's events settled on her shoulders, but amidst the exhaustion, there was a glimmer of hope.
"Quite the day, huh?" a voice broke through the silence, pulling Jill from her reverie. She turned to find Doc Holliday standing beside her, his expression mirroring her own mix of weariness and satisfaction.
"Yeah, quite the day indeed," Jill replied, offering him a weary smile. "I don't think I've ever felt so simultaneously exhausted and exhilarated."
Doc Holliday chuckled softly, his eyes reflecting the shared sense of accomplishment. "Welcome to the world of interstellar diplomacy, Jill. It's a rollercoaster ride like no other."
Jill nodded, her mind still buzzing with the day's negotiations. "I just hope we made the right decisions," she admitted, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"We did what we could," Doc replied, his tone reassuring. "And that's all anyone can ask for."
As they prepared to leave the conference room behind, Jill's thoughts turned to her daughter, her beloved Anya, waiting for her at the daycare center. The image of her sweet face filled Jill with renewed determination. Whatever challenges lay ahead, she knew she was fighting for a brighter future, not just for herself, but for her daughter and generations to come.
However, amidst the professional triumphs and maternal responsibilities, there lingered a subtle tug at Jill's heart. Javier, the Corsair leader, had left an impression on her. A strikingly handsome individual with a certain amount of flair, he had commanded attention in the room. Jill couldn't deny the attraction she felt towards him, though she knew it was futile. After all, he was a Corsair, and she couldn't shake the feeling that he must be married already.
Pushing aside those thoughts, Jill focused on the task at hand. With Doc by her side, she stepped into the uncertain future with a sense of purpose. The road to peace would be long and arduous, but as long as she had her family and friends like Doc, she knew they could weather any storm together. And for now, that was more than enough.
"Come Jill," Doc said. "Let's join the rest and have some food. Anya is just fine, trust me."
Doc always had this magical way of being able to reassure her at just the right time. She smiled, strengthened her shoulders and followed the Doc to share food with the fellow summit attendees.
She gave the Doc a pat on the shoulder saying "A great idea, John. I'm famished."
Orlov had followed to the next room the delegates who had decided to stay for the post-summit banquet. The meeting had made him a little hungry, and he needed a drink to relax. At this moment he was eating some croquette canapes with a cured ham muslin stuffing, which he had gathered on a plate, while he looked out into space through the large windows, pondering. From a corner not far away, Sergeant Baxter kept a close eye on the clergyman while while scanning carefully each person who moved throughout the room.
Overall, Yuri was feeling quite satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, given the circumstances of the starting point. There had been some tension, as was predictable, but the treaty had finally been signed that was very close to the best expectations the Magister he could have even imagined, from a purely realistic point of view. However, not all the other Zoner delegates were seeing it the same way.
Celcius Abonwood, had been the only one who had seemed to agree with Orlov that the treaty itself was an opportunity not only to end that very damaging war, but to return to a previous Status Quo with the Corsairs that was highly beneficial for the Zoner. He had been very pleasantly impressed by the restraint and pragmatism of the CEO of OSI, undoubtedly a woman who was perfectly capable of thinking coldly and representing the interests of her company and its people, leaving aside her own personal feelings. Yuri mentally thanked Deux that she had been present at the meeting, because otherwise he would have found himself very alone at the summit, trying to defend the benefits of the peace treaty.
Dr. Holiday, however, wasn't looking pleased. In a way, it was normal, he had tried to negotiate with the Executor about the Empire's demand to deny docking to the Outcasts, foreseeing the future problems this could cause, but he had been unsuccessful. He had no shortage of reasons to fear possible reprisals from the Outcast, or at least unrest, but what could be done about? From the first moment Orlov had understood that this condition was one of the non-negotiable pillars of the Corsair proposal for peace. They needed to take advantage of their current position in the Theta conflict, and making the system off-limits to Outcast docking was undoubtedly essential to their plans. The treaty could be good for both parties, but the Empire was certainly not willing to give up the little it had been able to gain from this war, as was logical.
As for Jerard Voncloud... Well, it was certainly noticeable that he wasn't happy at all. Yuri had been very surprised by the Administrator's attitude, not so much because of the logical anger he had initially shown, but rather because he had not been able to calm down throughout the meeting, and have been ended up exploding against the other delegates for pretending that they had more options than signing. Regarding the signing options, in essence he was right, it was obvious that no reasonable person could refuse to sign the peace treaty with the Corsairs, because the alternative was destruction, but Yuri didn't understand where the drama was in it. He believed that fact was something all the delegates were aware of since before meeting at the Academy. Taking into account the results of the conflict, and in what position the Zoners and the Empire were, had really anyone seriously imagined that the Corsairs were going to come to the summit to beg for forgiveness, or offer the return of Freeport 9? To think something like that was to err on the side of being too naïve.
The Magister shook his head and took a sip from the glass of white wine that he had resting on a nearby table, remembering how Voncloud had faced him after his final argument in favor of the treaty. 'What a load of bollocks', he had said. He couldn't help but smile, amused, because it had been a long time since anyone addressed him that way. Anyway, that outburst had not offended him, Yuri understood what Voncloud could feel, trapped by a decision he didn't want to make, but having no choice but to do so.
After all, the clergyman knew that Jerard hadn't been in favor of war with the Corsairs at any time. He had attempted to negotiate with them, and even when his attempts were met with a wall of indifference he had hesitated to participate militarily, but just fearing the consequences for the inhabitants of Pygar. Only at the end, pressured by military escalation and by the Corsair violent actions against the Freeport's civilian hostages, had he made the decision to join. Now, things had not gone well, and he was forced to make a decision to make a treaty with those he openly considered his enemies. Considering all this, it was easy to feel angry, but showing it was generally pointless. Orlov used to think that when there is no alternative to making a decision that is imposed on you from outside, it's always better to hide your doubts about from the other party, and try to adapt their idea to the most beneficial possible for your interests. It's not very effective to express your absolute rejection when you really have no capacity to oppose, because it puts you immediately on the blacklist of possible problematic elements, and also you don't get anything in return.
Was clear that Voncloud had nothing to do with a diplomat, he was as subtle as a shotgun blast to the face, but the Magister was beginning to see what kind of man the Administrator of Pygar was. It could be that he wasn't a skilled negotiator but he was a sincere, direct and visceral man, who wasn't afraid to say what was on his mind and didn't mince words. He could understand why his people trusted him, and it was because what was seen of Voncloud was what there was, simply. The truth was that he was liking him despite being so oppositely different from him, or maybe precisely because of that, in fact. At least with the Administrator one would always know what to expect without having to scrutinize every facial expression or every inflection of his voice. Orlov was used to doing this constantly, but it was certainly exhausting work. The clergyman hoped that, despite how difficult the situation was for Voncloud, the Church and the Pygar Administration could in the near future do things together that would be beneficial for all the inhabitants of the planet. Voncloud distrusted understandably of anything coming from the Corsairs, but Yuri was quite hopeful about the peace treaty and the intentions of the Empire, and believed it was a positive step in recover peace and growth.
Orlov finished his croquettes leaving the plate on the nearby table, and drank some white wine to cleanse the palate, while he looked towards the room and around at those present. Yes, the outcome of the summit could have been unsatisfactory for some delegates, but one had to put the feet on the ground and consider that it could have been infinitely worse. Being honest, since the Outcast had retreated from the war and the Core didn't seem interested in supporting further military operations, the allied Zoner forces had no possibility of successfully continuing by themselves, so, it wouldn't have been surprising if the Empire's delegates had called the meeting to demand unconditional and humiliating surrender. Instead, they had treated the Zoner delegates as equals, and had made reasonable conditions. That terms were clearly favorable to the interests of the Corsairs, yes, but at least most of them were also interesting to the Zoners. Besides, when some amendments had been raised about their initial proposal, they had accepted most of them.
Of course this attitude, no matter how friendly it was now, didn't erase the past, nor the horrible things the Corsairs had done, but Yuri had lived and studied enough conflicts throughout his life to understand that, in terms of diplomacy, when a victorus part offers the loser something that he has no obligation to give, it's advisable to take it as an act of good faith. If the Corsairs insisted on treating this act as a treaty between equals, and not as a surrender, it was useless to persist in trying to classify it as that. After all, things are defined merely by the words that the parties involved choose to use. Surrender, peace treaty... What did it matter, if the only relevant thing was how it would affect the participants in the future? Paper can withstand anything, and in a few years no one of the presents would remember the details of how he felt during this day, but only the consequences that arose from it.
Orlov walked to the center of the room, towards the catering tables and he left his empty glass on one of them, taking another one filled with more white wine that a waiter immediately brought to him. Seeing that Dr. Holiday and Director Xi were nearby, he approeached and greeted them with a slight nod and a smile. "Director, Doctor... It seems like we've achieved something good today, don't you think?" Yuri remained silent a few seconds, thoughtful, and then he looked at Doctor Holiday. "I know that the result it's far from being perfect, and I understand your concerns, but the only thing we can do at a time like this is try to improve the previous situation. I think today we're better than yesterday, and tomorrow we'll be better than today." The clergyman shrugged and took another small sip from his glass. "At least we've stopped the killing, and... who knows? If the results of this agreement benefit the Corsairs enough, they may keep their word and we may truly see a new dawn for the Omegas and Omicrons Zoners."