User:Etzan/Sandbox

Golden Border


East African Civil War Diplomacy
Ambassador Rayen 3 Sol 3 stepped onto the French transmat, "Office of the French Prime Minister." Knocking on the door now facing him, he entered the office. Rayen did not know why he was here, but the urgency of the summon made it clear something was wrong. "Prime Minister Valery. Greetings. Why have you called me here today? What has transpired?"

Behind the double sliding doors he would find a comfortably furnished office. It was layered with a rug and an array of shelves huddled around a fake fireplace. A large painting of Charles Maurice of Talleyrand hung on one of the walls. On the other side of the room stood a desk, layered with all sorts of data pads, behind which stood the French Prime Minister, his hands on his hips, talking into an earpiece.

"I'm telling you, the logistics of this kind of thing are hard to organize," Valéry was saying. "Yes... Yes... Listen, I'm going to have to call you back. Thanks." He then looked up at the Roreinian clone with a concerned smile. "You'll have to excuse me, ambassador.” He circumnavigated his desk to shake Rayen's hand hurriedly before ushering him into one of the chairs opposite the desk. "Please, sit down."

Rayen cautiously took a seat in the chair. It was hardly what he was used to, not fitting him quite right. "Now then, what do you wish to speak to me about?"

Valéry took a seat on the other side of him. He demeanor was brisk, very slightly agitated. "Listen to me, this is important and we don't have much time. The East Africans intercepted a shipment carrying foreign supplies to the East African Sultanate, enough for a whole army. They determined that were of Roreinian issue, and the president knows. Were you aware that this was happening?" His tone was not accusatory. It bled of empathy, as if they had been both duped by powers beyond their control.

Centuries of practice allowed Rayen to hide a frown. How had their operatives been so sloppy? Himselves would have to clean up this mess. "Smuggling? Prime Minister Valery, Roreinia has declared their support of the people's choice, but we would not violate an international embargo."

Valéry shook his head with disconcertment. "I don't blame you. Governments rarely tell their diplomats such things.” He stood, restless, and walked over to the large glass-pane windows that gave out on to the bustling metropolis of Planet Paris. His hands in his pockets, he started out of them intensely. “You need to know, the President is meeting with the American ambassador in five minutes with the intent of exposing this to the international community and levying sanctions against Roreinia.” He faced the ambassador again. “I came straight to you the moment I found out."

"Sanctions!? We're showing support of a rebel nation, not funding terrorist attacks. What 'proof' do they even have?"

"I don't know all of the details, but the president spent thirty minutes on the phone with the East African delegation. By the end of it, she seemed dead convinced. It's a terrible step, Ambassador. Our two nations are close and I don't think she'd tare down centuries of progress on hearsay. But we can save them, you and me." Valéry took a step back towards the desk and leaned on it with both of his palms. His energy had turned from nervous to determined in an instant, infused with the enthusiasm of a man having just found the perfect solution to a problem. "I can put a stop to that meeting with one phone call. All I need you to do is go to your superiors and tell them to call off supplying the Sultanate. I'll handle the President, and everything will return to normal. It'll all be forgotten. What do you say?"

"Call them off? I've told you..." His voice trailed off and his facial expression showed to the faux age of his memories, reflecting upon his memories of the old days. "There's no point in turning us back to the pointless warring days of our past. I might be able to call them off, and save what I can. But neither myself nor the other versions of myself are going to back down just yet."

"Just yet? Ambassador, people are dying in East Africa, including men from our armed forces. Our people are being killed by your guns. Think about that.” He paused for a brief second to let it sink in. “Now think about how the President feels about that."

"I will convince my brethren to withdraw military support. But you're not going to change the side we choose, and even if you did I'd never be able to convince the rest of me. We keep our guns out and you keep the President quiet."

Valéry nodded and immediately grabbed for his earpiece. "Catherine, this is Valéry. Delay the American delegation. Tell them something––anything. I need to have a word with the President immediately. Thank you." The communication finished, Valéry turned back to the Roreinian and extended a hand. "You can count on me, Ambassador. Our two nations may be on opposite sides of this argument––and I have the utmost respect for that––but we can keep ourselves civilized in arguing it."

Rayen shook Valery's hand, "As long as we can keep our countries out of war. You weren't there for World War III."

"No I wasn't." Valéry replied. "But I was a soldier in war myself, and I do not wish that kind of experience on anyone else. You know the way out. Take good care of yourself." He made his way to the door at a brisk pace, far ahead of the ambassador, and began to walk down the lengthy corridor separating his office from that of the President.



''It's never a good idea to back a predator against a wall with no means of escape. That's when they become desperate, and a desperate enemy is far more dangerous than a sane and cautious one. The trick is to threaten them with a stick in one hand while offering them a deal they can't refuse with the other, and they will do whatever you want. I hit a snag when he tried to delay his way out, but I only had to make him see the supposed direness of the situation to make him fall back in line. As for me, I will speak to the President. Truth be told, she knows nothing about the Roreinians in East Africa; I have kept her in the dark about this whole affair for far too long.''



AD Speeches
From the moment that the French defenses at Sedan and on the Meuse were broken at the end of the second week of May, only a rapid retreat to Amiens and the south could have saved the British and French Armies who had entered Belgium at the appeal of the Belgian King; but this strategic fact was not immediately realized...

The French High Command hoped they would be able to close the gap, and the Armies of the north were under their orders. Moreover, a retirement of this kind would have involved almost certainly the destruction of the fine Belgian Army of over 20 divisions and the abandonment of the whole of Belgium

The Orion League Responds
Story= News of the Neraida incursion traveled quickly among human powers. Wild rumors and speculation dominated the airwaves, spreading fear among the people while governments rushed to assess the threat. Emotions ran high as Councilor Salk stood on the floor of the Orion League General Council and called for action against the Cyrannian invaders. After his rousing speech––so eloquent it could only have been written by a Vulcan––the Council voted nearly unanimously to answer the Intergalactic Human Republic's call to action.
 * Declaration of War

The vote finished, the council Arbiter stood and glowered down upon the assembly from his high podium. A powerful South American with an impressive mustache and commanding features, his voice boomed throughout the council hall.

Arbiter - It is decided. As of this moment, the Orion League is in a state of war. Long live Humanity!

The hall erupted in applause and cheers of, "Long live Humanity!" Images of the standing ovation his words received were transmitted across the Orion's Spur, giving hope to those who now lived under the shadow of the impending conflict.

Within the hour, chiefs of staffs, presidential cabinets, and advisory councils were meeting all over the Orion League, weighing the odds and making decisions that would influence the future of humanity. Within the next, the League's militaries were on the move. Their chosen rally point: Earth. Dialogue= An hour after the declaration of war, the Chiefs of Staff of the French Armed Forces convened in the Elysée Palace on Paris. Present were Prime Minister Alexandre Valéry, Minister of Defense Jasmine Monette, and the proud French Marshals in their white uniforms. Out of all the big names––Teindas, Delacroix, Chartier, Daniau––only Ortiz, who was stationed in the Quadrants, was missing.

They were all seated around the small meeting table at the center of the room when the door slid open and President Maxime walked in. As one, the French Marshals stood and saluted her.

Teindas - Excellency.

Maxime - At ease, all of you.

They all sat back down and Maxime joined them.

Maxime - You will have to excuse me for being late, I just got off of the line with the Chairman. He wants you, Teindas, to resume your duties as Generalissimo of the Orion League for as long as this conflict lasts.

Teindas tensed noticeably, though he was not surprised. Ever since he had heard that the Orion League could be going to war, he was both looking forward to and dreading the moment when the Orion League would choose its military leader. He figured the honor would fall to him. After all, what better candidate was there than the man who successfully waged the Dominates War?

Maxime sensed his discomfort.

Maxime - Marshal, if you want to decline, I––

Teindas - I will accept.

Maxime - I will have Monette send you all of the information we have on the Neraida and the League's dispositions when it all comes in. The main fleet is gathering in orbit of Earth, just like last time. You are expected there in twenty-four hours.

She then turned to the rest of the gathered Marshals.

Maxime - I want the Starfleet to be ready to leave as soon as possible. The Neraida are heading towards the Orion's Spur. If they attack us, we need to be ready. You are authorized to use the heavy ships in drydock as well as anything we have in reserve if you deem it necessary.

Chartier - What about the H-Type prototypes? This could be the perfect opportunity to test them in...

Valéry - Those will stay behind.

Chartier - Pardon?

Maxime - According to those who built them, they are not battle worthy yet.

Chartier - We tested one of them last week, it outperformed our current equipment by...

Valéry - We will stick to the equipment we have now. We have kept the H-Types a secret up to this point, and we intend to keep them that way for a little while longer. Are we clear?

Before Chartier could argue, Teindas intervened.

Teindas - Yes, sir. Perfectly clear.

There was an awkward pause before conversation resumed. They discussed fleet movements, the different commands to be allocated, and the courses of action the Neraida were likely to take. After about half an hour, they broke, and one by one they filtered out of the room until the only two remaining were Chartier and Valéry. Valéry had migrated to his habitual spot by the window, staring out intently. Lucian, meanwhile, hovered by the door, obviously meaning to say something. Finally, he decided against it and started to exit, only to be stopped by Valéry's voice.

Valéry - You wonder why Maxime won't deploy the prototypes.

Chartier weighed his words carefully.

Chartier - With all due respect, deploying them could save thousands in unnecessary casualties.

Valéry turned around pensively, nodding with understanding.

Valéry - Perhaps they would, in the short run, win us an engagement or a battle that we otherwise would have lost. Thousands of lives would be saved. But those weapons, kept secret, represent a much greater advantage than that. I'm not talking about winning an engagement or a battle, I'm talking about winning a war. Trillions of lives could be saved if we just wait for the right moment to use them.

Chartier - Who would we use them against, if not the Neraida?

Valéry returned his gaze to beyond the window.

Valéry - I don't know. Everywhere I look––in every corner of the Gigaquadrant––I see the same signs: hard times are ahead of us. Alliances are beginning to fracture, old rivalries are beginning to resurface, and the great tectonic plates that make up the political landscape of the universe are shifting. We might, in the near future, be forced by circumstance to turn on an ally or to wage war against someone we never would have thought of.

Chartier - And if we lose against the Neraida?

Valéry - Then it won't be because we didn't deploy a few prototypes. The combined might of humanity is marshaling for war. If that is not enough to keep this threat at bay, then a few new toys won't make a difference.