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| Gondor Sends diplomat to NPL | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 21 2015, 01:32 PM (209 Views) | |
| Gondor | Apr 21 2015, 01:32 PM Post #1 |
Chargé d'Affaires
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Representative Abeo Abidugun is flying to Seattle to negotiate diplomatic relations with the North Pacific League. He has landed in Seattle and is staying at a local hotel and awaits a meeting with the Presidium and would like to speak before a joint session of the People's Assembly, if allowed. |
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| North Pacific League | Apr 21 2015, 01:54 PM Post #2 |
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Spokesperson
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The Gondoran delegation is granted entry without incident, greeted warmly by deputies of the People's Assembly of Seattle, with an officer of the NPL Militia, and offered finer accommodations in the Hotel de Ville Seattle, especially prepared for visiting dignitaries. The deputies assure them that the members of the Presidium and some ministers of the Grand Assembly will attend them shortly, and that a speech before the legislature can almost certainly be arranged. ((OOC: More properly IC post to come; sorry for being brief; just wanted to say the NPL is fine with the visit.)) Edited by North Pacific League, Apr 21 2015, 01:54 PM.
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| Gondor | Apr 22 2015, 06:30 AM Post #3 |
Chargé d'Affaires
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Mr. Abidugun thanks the NPL officials for giving him such a warm welcome. He accepts the nicer amenities at the Hotel de Ville Seattle with gratitude. He eagerly awaits the Presidium and Ministers of the Grand Assembly at their leisure. |
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| Gondor | Apr 27 2015, 08:41 PM Post #4 |
Chargé d'Affaires
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OOC: Bump |
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| North Pacific League | Jun 1 2015, 07:13 PM Post #5 |
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Spokesperson
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Presidents Kinney, Lee, and Furukawa sat around a table in the dining room of the Hotel de Ville Seattle of an early morning, hastily consuming their breakfasts and news at the same time. Lee had donned his formal marshal's uniform, but appeared to have left his room above in some haste, his tie a bit askance and lines of shaving cuts on his chin. Kinney made little of it, knowing he'd never been a morning person; she noted he gulped coffee and asked the lonely waitress on station for refills a prodigious rate. She suspected they might be Irish coffees, by some secret pact. The man scrupulously avoided blatant drunkenness, but she hadn't failed to note that he drank more, and more often, of late. Furukawa was prim as ever, and ate even an omelette by lifting her whole plate almost to her chin; one of a few Japanese habits she never seemed able to discard. Her own Maritime Militia uniform was in perfect order, but she'd made at least enough concession to practicality to leave off her cloak and ornamental brooch for the time being. Lee sighed as he shuffled through a small stack of papers; he was a terrible luddite and scornfully refused to use a tablet. "So the situation in the Southwest was resolved anyway." Kinney couldn't fail to note the disappointment in his voice, much as he tried to affect a note of relief. She didn't bother with any attempt to hide her concern as she looked at him. "Yeah, and we should be happy. Everything we wanted is achieved, and none of our citizens dead." Lee's response was not angry, nor abrasive nor impolite, but he spoke deeply and loudly enough that Kinney could sense he was on the verge of all that, when he nodded and left his head bowed over some bacon: "Sure, others did the fighting for us. And good for our people and families. But you understand, for our honor, less ..." Furukawa did snap back tersely, though that was hardly rare and raised no eyebrows. "Put it aside for now and don't worry about your pride. You'll have chances to redeem it if you wish, I'm very sure. We should meet with the delegation from Gondor today. Soon." Kinney was not unpleasantly surprised, given her colleague's general lack of enthusiasm for diplomacy, but nodded her agreement as her cheeks were stuffed with part of a scone. Lee set down his papers and held up his palms in a defensive gesture he'd picked up from Hokkaido, and even managed a bit of a smile. Well, maybe a small bit of booze was good for him, if Kinney's suspicions were correct. "I understand; they have been kept waiting too long. Just, ah, if you can let me make myself a bit more presentable before we have them down." He rose gracefully enough, but ruined it by rubbing his eyes. "It would give us time to have the staff lay out a better meal and for us to clean all this up, anyway." Without another word he returned his chair to its position, turned on his heel in a most soldierly manner, and strode back towards the hall that led to the stairway and ramps. Kinney chanced an unguarded glance at Furukawa, and thought her colleague read, and, shockingly, returned the concern in her eyes, without any words needing to pass between them. *** When the delegates from Gondor and their staff exited their rooms, they were met with a squad of NPL Militia Vanguard in immaculate dress uniform, rifles over their shoulders, but no bayonets fixed. Their officer stepped forward and bowed elegantly, doffing his peaked and billed cap in the process. "Your pardon for the intrusion, monsieurs et madames, but, for the discussion of official matters, our presidents humbly request your presence in the dining room, for breakfast. I'm Lieutenant Mercer of the Militia Vanguard, avante service. Ah, and if you would like to take any more time, the members of the presidium are quite happy to wait, I'm sure." He smiled shyly and lowered his voice, though it was utterly unnecessary. "Whatever you may think and whatever show they might put on, they're ordinary folk and informal enough, I promise you." *** When the Gondoran delegation descended to the lobby, Kinney, Lee -- much more presentable -- and Furukawa stood in a line and bowed in unison, before servers ushered the foreigners to seats on one side of a long table, each place set with china and silverware. The presidents sat close together, facing them, and Kinney opened a bottle of champagne and took a cuiraffe of orange juice to fix everyone mimosas, if they wanted. Finely hand-written menus were afforded and the staff much increased from the earlier lone waitress. Kinney raised a glass: "To our most honored guests, with humble pardon for the delay, and every assurance it will be made up to you as much as the League can do so." "Now, I'd urge you eat and drink your fill first, but if you have any official business to discuss in the meantime, we certainly won't mind." Lee and Furukawa stood with her, and all made slight bows before retaking their seats. ![]() Intersection of lobby and dining room at Hotel de Ville Seattle |
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| Gondor | Jun 1 2015, 08:30 PM Post #6 |
Chargé d'Affaires
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Representative Abidugun was wearing a black suit, with a red shirt and a pink striped tie. He had been extremely impressed with the rather divine dress of the NPL vanguard, their uniforms being without a single wrinkle or blemish. He had quickly nodded to Lt. Mercer, thanking him and replying, "But of course. We will see them immediately. I thank you for your service, kind monsieur." He followed the officers down the winding steps of the staircase to the lobby, which they then went through and got to the dining room. When President Kinney had raised her glass and invited him to eat after apologizing for the delay, he carefully sat down, admiring the divine look of the meal set before him. "The delay is no problem, madame. I thank you for your hospitality and will surely enjoy this great meal which has been served. I thank you." He then nodded to Lee and Furukawa as they sat down, simply acknowledging their presence. Abeo muttured a brief prayer and began to eat, having some orange juice, an omlete, and some toast with butter and cranberry jam spread atop it. He thoroughly enjoyed the meal, and ate with extreme etiquette so as not to offend the Presidium. Once he had consumed his fill of food and drink, he turned his gaze to meet that of the Presidium. "Presidents Kinney, Lee, and Furukawa, I once again thank you for having me here. The food was quite delicious, might I add. But exchanging pleasantries and having small talk is not why I have been sent here. My King, Aragorn, wishes a connection with your nation, a trade connection to be more precise. We know that the League has vast natural resources, and so do we. My sovereign feels that our natural resources can complement one another through free trade and commercial interests. We also can help you with military technology and training, should you wish it. And that is nothing against the valor and courage of the Militia, it is simply a cordial offer. We offer you this because we admire the ferocity for which you nation advocates the liberties and unalienable rights of all peoples, regardless of who they are." |
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| North Pacific League | Jun 1 2015, 10:01 PM Post #7 |
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Spokesperson
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President Kinney blushed and laughed at Representative Abidugun's compliments, waving them away with a fluttering hand. "Ah, please, it was prepared in a rush. We can do much better, and will, for your other meals, if you'd like to stay ... and I trust you won't fly off before lunch, anyway." Kinney, Lee and Furukawa just took drinks, having already eaten breakfast, Lee filling his glass with straight champagne instead of mixing it with juice, and Furukawa bowing to accept tea on a saucer. Still, Lee looked well-composed and dignified enough, his blue-gray uniform now pressed and straightened, sigiled and banded cap of rank set aside, and hair as untangled as it ever got. All three sipped and listened politely, bowing at the pleasantries and praise, then letting Abidugun go on with his proposals. Lee and Furukawa did, to Kinney's keen and familiar eye, have to stifle looks of distaste at the offer to aid the Militia, but hoped it wouldn't be picked up by someone who didn't know them quite so well. Still, she discreetly chose only to address trade: "Of course, the League is most welcome to a trade agreement. We would consent to exchanges of goods at market value with no tariffs or duties, if that would suffice. I'm no economist, and can't be sure of relative supply or demand for what we might transfer, but if a policy of non-interference will do, the presidium may authorize that with the consent of the Grand Assembly and Trade Minister Matsuoka, which I'm sure would be forthcoming. I expect lumber, aluminum, steel, petrol, and staple foods, at least, would be valuable to you, and we can pledge not to gouge with prices -- not that we ever do so by policy." Her tone, without being dismissive of the Grand Assembly or the minister, left little doubt that this sort of thing would be rubber-stamped without much if any discussion. Lee coughed and, setting down his drink gently, almost picked up his cap, feeling its seams in an absentminded, fiddling manner. "And we appreciate your offer with regard to the Militia, but, contrary to world opinion, it is very well -- I can never say 'perfectly' -- equipped and trained according to our strategic objectives and tactical doctrine. It is unorthodox but our aims, our deployments, dispositions of forces, and means of engagement are unorthodox. It has been a project of great focus for our whole society, which you'll see if you'd like to visit some ordinary citizens' institutions. "We may have no standing army but -- and I'm accustomed to being criticized on these grounds -- that has led to a kind of militarization of the whole society, in public life, at least. Our young students train with rifle, sword and spear instead of playing usual sports; every eligible citizen from twenty to forty-five is given their rifle and training for a month of every year, and their obligation to serve when we sound the call; our police are also Militia officers, and wear the uniform." He frowned slightly. "I don't like these things, but they've been the necessary sacrifices to create a society that can defend itself from aggression without a standing army. And I am confident that in these past ten years we have achieved that." Furukawa stood abruptly, her chair screeching back across the tiled floor as she did so. "And not only that, but you are right about our dedication. You miss only one thing: Our dedication in spirit and our faith in our cause makes us stronger than any weapon can do. Like Yamanouchi, we will die before we yield, every last of us!" Lee gave her a look of equally mixed admiration and admonition, as he set down his cap with finality and met Abidugun's eyes. "But, when we say we appreciate that praise, it's not a diplomatic formality. I ..." -- he paused and tilted his head, as if his neck pained him -- "I am sorry, that we were not able to help you in the Southwest. We intended it, but that is nothing to ameliorate the dishonor." President Kinney sighed softly, taking a somewhat deeper sip of her mimosa before speaking again: "I'm sure what my colleagues mean to say is, the Militia is as it is for good reason, down to the tiniest detail. If you'd like to compensate us for any generosity in terms of trade, we'd much prefer it if it were in kind, and so could benefit our people more, so far as quality of life goes. Ensuring that our citizens are happy is the essence of our duty to them, in my estimation, and out Militia being as capable as it is, I don't think fear of aggression is too great a factor in that." Edited by North Pacific League, Jun 1 2015, 10:07 PM.
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| Gondor | Jun 2 2015, 07:59 AM Post #8 |
Chargé d'Affaires
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Abidugun let out a slight chuckle at the comments of Kinney about meals and the like. It was obvious that he was tickled by her speech when he replied. "Oh, certainly. I would love to see what more food you have to offer me. Your cuisine has proven great now, but if you can do much better than this I would do backflips. I am a man that admires all things in discovering other cultures, especially when it comes to food." He listened intently as Kinney explained how a trade deal might work, and he smiled briefly at the mention of how easily such a deal might be accomplished. He thought for a moment about what she had told them, and then responded in kind. "Yes, yes of course. There is no need for tariffs or duties because they hurt the normal exchange of goods set by businesses. King Aragorn would be more than happy to institute a noninterference policy on our part as well. Those goods which you mentioned: lumber, aluminum, steel, petrol, and staple foods would be invaluable to us at this time. Some of our population does not have access to such things and this would being much-needed relief. In return, we can offer you diamonds, salt, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum and cocoa beans, but also woods and tropical fruits if you would so desire it. We specialize in precious metals and gems, so if you want to invest in those then surely you would reap the benefits." As Lee and Furukawa detailed their response to him about the military offer, he was quite impressed by the detail of their training. The Militia may not have been a standing army, but he definitely felt that they could stand up to any tyrant if need be. His gaze met with Lee when he offered up a solemn apology regarding the recent war in the Caribbean, and he nodded in kind. His expression changed from happy to reverent, as he remembered those so recently lost. "I am wowed by the way you and your Militia run things. They are extremely organized, and I would like to apologize first for underestimating the organization and true dedication of your troops, because now I realize the way that you all operate works. I admire the fact that your troops will fight to the last, as Gondor values this principle as well. And to you, President Lee, there is no need for an apology, but if you insist then I accept it. Your forces weren't obligated to do anything about the Spartans, and surely it wasn't your fight. I find your intentions honorable and humbling; to even have the thought of fighting alongside such an amazing force as yours is truly an honor. But trust me, we knew of your intentions. Satellite imagery showed that you sent needed supplies and arms to the Freedom Fighters in an attempt to combat Sparta, and you also sent news reporters to make the Spartan brutality known. You played a great part without having to fight, and this suffices any anguish in my mind." He paused as he let Kinney give her last thoughts and he nodded his head in agreement. Happiness was the key to order, due to the fact that if everyone was happy with their life, they were likely to defend it with much fervor. His facial expression went to a more pleasant settlement, and he gave a concise reply. "Then trade shall facilitate the happiness which keeps the Militia going, and the quality of life for your citizens will improve. If your troops are happy with what they have in life, then they will do anything to defend it, thus making them all the more formidable and less likely to fear aggression but to meet it head on when it comes. Therefore I shall say that trade is the key to our forthcoming agreement, and by it our two nations will live long and prosper." |
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| North Pacific League | Jun 5 2015, 01:10 AM Post #9 |
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Spokesperson
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At Abidigun's praise, Marshal-President Lee doffed his cap and lowered his head, to hide his blushing. He never could take a compliment well, and knew it. When he thought he'd regained his composure, and after Kinney had covered for himself and Furukawa, he took another long sip of champagne and answered: "I don't think I'm due any praise, though I'm most grateful, sir. As Admiral-President Furukawa said, we rely above all on the spirit of our people, and I can't take credit for that." Furukawa gave him the slightest, barely-noticeable appreciative glance. "But all that aside, I think we're all in agreement with President Kinney that the well-being of the common citizen is our first and foremost priority, and as tempting as military trade may be, as long as our defense is adequate, we should defer to that obligation. We'll draw up the proper documents before noon." The presidents looked to one another, and knowing each other well enough, silently affirmed the statement without any other gesture. Each took it in turn to shake Abidigun's hand, bowing their heads in the process. Kinney quickly finished her mimosa and spoke up with a beaming smile: "And since you may have time before that, we would love to take you on a tour of the city ... and to get lunch, later?" Lee coughed. "Ah, for all I've talked of the Militia, I would love to hear about Gondor's armed forces, if we're to be allies." Furukawa bowed more deeply. "We would happily exchange information for the mutual self-defense of our lands and the protection of the rights of the oppressed, sir." ![]() Cascadian Coast in Summer Edited by North Pacific League, Jun 5 2015, 01:12 AM.
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| Gondor | Jun 5 2015, 09:09 AM Post #10 |
Chargé d'Affaires
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Abidugun smiled as the Presidium showed their gratitude towards them. He laughed and answered Furukawa, "Yes, of course. Your people deserve all due credit. They are inf fact what keeps this land safe under your collective leadership." To Kinney he responded, "President Kinney, that is just wonderful. I will love to be able to sign those documents to make this alliance official. Trade will be just fine for us." He shook their hands firmly and with gusto, as was Gondorian tradition. The stronger the handshake, the better. It showed how much of a warrior you were, and displayed competency with a dabble of respect. It was the perfect combination. When Kinney mentioned a city tour and lunch, he grinned from ear to ear. "I would absolutely love to, President Kinney. I definitely want to tour Seattle. I have heard many great things about this city, and am eager to take it all in. Lunch would also be great. I loved breakfast here, and so shall I adore lunch." He then heard Lee and Furukawa's comments about hearing about Gondor's military and exchanging information, his face lit up. "But of course, Presidents! Let me explain first how our military works. Gondor has a professional, highly trained military. Service is optional, given our high population. We have a standing army now at around 1.5 million, and about 800,000 reserves. Enlistment is high because Gondorians view service as an honor and a privilege. We do our best to operate at the cutting edge of technology so that our enemy is at a disadvantage. Training is rigorous for all branches, and troops regularly train at least once a month. The air force is one of the most advanced in the world, and many of our planes are still top secret to this day. The same goes for our navy and army. We are quite secretive due to the fact that if our advanced weaponry got into the wrong hands, then nations like Sparta could rampage around the world, oppressing freedom. But we also do our best to be transparent, as you can observe a full detail of our operations in Cuba based on a report by King Aragorn and our Ministry of Defense. If you would like, we can allow you to have some of our technology, as I have noticed that you lack things like air superiority fighters. We can also look into things like bombers, interceptors, and troop transport vehicles. Our tanks are also able to be bought, and and you are welcome to our small arms stores." |
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