NationStates Jolt Archive

After the outbreak of wars across the world, particularly starting with Automagfreek and Praetonia, both of whom were allies of Euroslavia, a re-evaluation of her own alliances and friendships had become extremely important. Relations between Euroslavia and her allies had suffered tremendously because of these wars. Though there was the occasional strengthening of relations, which was the case with Pacitalia, who held the same stance on the whole crisis. It seemed that from this, Pacitalia and Euroslavia could move ahead of the crisis and form a deeper, more strengthened friendship with each other, because of that understanding. Now was the time to exploit the possibilities of such a friendship....


A meeting had already begun between Destra and Marona about the opportunity of getting together with the leader of Pacitalia, and discussing further relations...

"I see this as a perfect opportunity to develop relations with Pacitalia. Our diplomatic stance through the whole situation was the same, which was a rarity in itself. Most nations decided to take a side over the other. There were even a few nations that took one side, while having allies on both, exploiting their friendships with those forgotten nations. We cannot trust those who would do such a thing, turning their back on some of their allies, without seeking a diplomatic solution. The only reason these wars broke out so quickly was because of the fact that diplomacy was never given a chance with a majority of the wars." stated Destra, thinking of some of the former allies she had noticed taking one side, with no concern for their other allies.

"You have a point. Allies don't do that to their own allies. The whole idea of a friendship between two nations is to collaborate with each other, and listen to each other when the time gets rough, as well as supporting them in times of need. This wasn't the case for a few of the nations out there, sadly. I think it's time we re-evaluate our friendship and alliances with some of the nations involved in it all. We cannot afford to ignore such a blatant disregard of our friendship."

Destra decided to bring up an interesting point, while playing devil's advocate. "Of course though, some of our friends involved in the war will complain about our decision to stay out of the war. How shall we respond to the accusations of us abandoning our allies in their times of need?"

This was intended to be a test to Marona's response. Destra already knew the answer, but was hoping that Marona was on the same page.

"Well, our allies, knowing that we have friends on both sides, shouldn't expect us to abandon one over the other. That is why we didn't get involved, correct? Otherwise, we would be exactly like those who did abandon their friends in the course of the war."

Destra nodded in approval. She was learning quite well. she thought.

"You nailed that question perfectly, Marona. You'll prove to be a great leader one of these days." as Destra smiled. "You never know what could happen. There's always the chance that I'll be gone tomorrow, and that you'll have to lead the nati--" spoke Destra, as she was interrupted by Marona.

"Don't say that!" Marona raised her voice a bit, but not to the point of yelling. "You are leader of Euroslavia, and will be for quite some time. I don't want you talking about the possibility of being gone tomorrow. Of course, its always in the back of our heads, but to think about it openly, and talk about your demise? I cannot do so." as Marona became a little frustrated.

"I apologize Marona. I didn't mean to upset you in any sort of way. I'm just letting you know though, I wouldn't trust anyone else to take the throne of Euroslavia. You're who I want to be my sucessor."

Nothing further was said of that subject. It was just too awkard to continue on with it, for both Destra and Marona. They each decided that a telegram should be sent to Pacitalia, to advance relations between the two nations.

Official Communication to Pacitalia

"As the wars rage on among us, our stance has been all but ignored. The decision to stay neutral on our part was because of the fact that we had allies on both sides. We cannot say the same for a few of the nations out there. At this time, we wish to extend a hand towards your nation and its people, due to the fact that we have decided upon the same fate of our nations, neutrality. Diplomacy was hardly involved in any of the situations, before war broke out, showing us that it may be time for us to re-evaluate our political stance with many nations. This has also given us the opportunity to decide that further relations between our two nations would be a good idea.

At this point, a discussion of our friendship, our alliance, and the possibiity of creating more opportunities between our two nations could be set on the table for negotiations, as well as the possibility of a free trade agreement, the increase of political relations with each other, as well as showing the world that throughout of all of these wars, a strong friendship can be created from it all. We leave the decision of closer ties up to your and your people."

Lady Destra nos Thiendrel,
Free Dictator of Euroslavia

It was not the same. It would never be the same. That hole, that gaping hole, that rift, that crack - it was growing and the proverbial screams could be heard light years away. Something was wrong. It couldn't be fixed. It was not the same. Blue sky had turned to gray, sun to thunder and lightning, clouds to fire. Rain morphed to acid, plants to skeletons and the mind's eye shrivelled like a ripe date. What had happened? It couldn't be answered... yet. Though, one thing was for certain. It was not the same.

Prime Minister Timothy Ell had felt this way for days. He had just been openly scorned by his good friend, the Sarzonian president, for attempting to find a diplomatic solution to the Gholgoth wars. No, he didn't want revenge. He didn't want vindication. He was just... shocked. The shock didn't come from being generally told off by a friend. The shock came from being told that war was the preferred route, and then being accused of being the accuser. As much as that didn't make sense to anybody else he told, Ell knew what he meant. Mike Sarzo had implied -- very strongly -- that he wanted to teach Damien Dreadfire a lesson. As much as that was, in his opinion, a rather foolish decision, he admired Mike for the steely bravery he had shown in the face of near-certain defeat.

However, Mike had then come out and accused Tim of saying that Sarzonians would prefer to kill than to play ball in the diplomatic baseball diamond. This outraged both of them - Tim felt sickened by the blatantly defamatory assertion of the Sarzonian president. On the other end, Mike was obviously angry... for why else would he make such a claim? It was just a big mess that never needed to have presented itself. Tim wrote an urgent email to Mike to shake down any confusion, and it did work, because Mike apologised.

Still, it seemed that even if Prime Minister Ell and President Sarzo were on good terms, the general populace of each nation were somehow not. Pacitalians were a little irked about Sarzo's comments and somewhat upset that the Ell government had allowed the sale of all of a Pacitalian company to a foreign investor, even if it was Sarzonia. Sarzonians seemed to feel that Pacitalians were spineless, a point often bandied about on the Sarzonian News Network, which, although owned by a Pacitalian media giant, seemed to feel it was free of any reporting and bias boundaries. A supper-hour commentator on an SNN round-table discussion had even gone so far as to call the Pacitalian government "a bureaucracy of pussies". The man was not reprimanded or fired, which further served to irritate the Pacitalian people.

Ever more, it seemed that Sarzonia would have to defend Pacitalia to prove they still cared about this bilateral alliance. Things were definitely getting heated between Pacitalia and Sarzonia, save for the personal friendship that still strongly existed between Timothy Ell and Mike Sarzo, and to a lesser extent between Ell and Lieutenant President Nicole Lewis. In fact, the heat seemed strong enough to melt away that old title thrown around as much as possible by Pacitalians and Sarzonians - the bilateral relationship they had was truly one of the strongest in the world. But not anymore, and it was unfortunate. Now, Hamptonshire, Knootoss and Euroslavia seemed much more eager to gain that title than Sarzonia did to regain it. That, in itself, was unfortunate.

Pacitalia valued its relationship with the four very highly and wanted to treat them all as equally very strong allies. Unfortunately, the Sarzonian public seemed to be against that, at least while they took on Pantera over the Branwyn mess, and that message was even apparent in the level of trade. Sarzonia was now only at 9% of Pacitalia's total export/import level, down quite substantially from the old 25% levels the two used to mutually enjoy. The trouble with Sarzonia was that they were stubborn. But Pacitalians couldn't swallow their pride, and both factors were contributing to the sharp, noticeable decline in relations. Sarzonia and Pacitalia would never not be friends, but they were both treading conspiciously on each other's thin ice.

"La cosa tutta è simpla una sturga sangerali," Ell muttered to himself over his cafeta Pacitaliana one morning. "The whole thing's just a bloody mess. It's out of control. Completely out of control."

Did Sarzonia want Pacitalia to change? Did Pacitalia want Sarzonia to change? And what did change mean? Ell found himself not caring much as time wore on through the conflict, the hours and minutes passing, the paper on his desk piling up, then disappearing, the vicious cycle repeating, droning on and on. It was madness. He'd been through this type of thing before - being a mediator in the RB-Sarzonian war ended up not being a barrel of monkeys, as nobody had predicted. Accusations from both sides. Scorn. Opposition. Distaste. Disapproval. Generally, Pacitalia wasn't exactly appreciated by either side after a while, and it was time for Ell to pull the diplomatic army out of the battle. That he did, and they never looked back - but Ell regretted his decision after. Normally, he would have stuck it out, but he didn't.

This time he would. This time, he would show Sarzonia, and apparently, Praetonia, too, that his government wasn't backing down at all. We were neutral for a reason. For a damn good reason, too. It wasn't because the Freeks and Panterans were equal in their value to Sarzonians, Praetonians and Hogsweatians, no, it was the fact that Pacitalia valued expressing neutrality and diplomacy over anything else. Nobody else shared that view. Again came the scorn.

But Timothy Ell ignored it. He paid for a little on the Sarzonian side of the border, but he didn't mind. What was the job of the Prime Minister if one was only elected to appease people he had no jurisdiction over? He was only concerned about the wellbeing of Pacitalia, after all, and maybe for his allies, which he would defend if called upon. This time, things were different. Sanctaphrax basically had abandoned Pacitalia and left Ell and his government scrambling to fill the void as the only mediator back in the RB-Sarzonian war. Thankfully, like an angel's song, the Democratic Capitalist Republic wasn't alone. It was never alone, but unlike the last time Pacitalia had mediated a conflict, they had a teammate. A reliable one, too. A nation they trusted explicitly, who Pacitalians and the FCG admired greatly.

Euroslavia.

Hamptonshire may have been neutral, but they still, in effect, had picked a side. Knootoss wasn't even involved in the conflict. Sarzonia had picked a side, most obviously. Euroslavia was the only one left. No, Pacitalia did not think of them as the bastard child, the leftover, the dreg. That would have been a horrible thing to even think. In fact, it was the opposite. Ell was prepared to kiss the hand of every single Euroslavian woman, and shake the hand of every man in that country, for standing tall and firm beside Pacitalia in their shared belief that diplomacy and peace were a better route. They took the scorn like Pacitalia, and turned it around. It bounced off the armour of the neutral like rocks on pavement.

And, with perfect timing, Pacitalia found itself at the receiving end of a request by Lady Destra nos Thiendrel. The leader of Euroslavia herself. Requesting improved relations. She saw it too. She really did. Ell wasn't alone in seeing how much better off Pacitalia would be if they sought better relations with Euroslavia, and vice versa, instead of trying to repair a sinking ship that was Sarzonian-Pacitalian relations. Praeto-Pacitalian relations already seemed to have been flushed down the toilet.

Ell looked out his office window. The acid had gone, the fire reverted to clouds. Plants were growing, people were smiling, the sky was blue and the sun had returned. What a beautiful thing it was. Ell saw the beacon of light and hope that was being offered, and he moved toward it. Away from the darkness. Away from the disappointment and the hopeless.

----------------------------

It was another day. The fog in his mind had passed. It was still sunny, and warm. He was no longer alone at the OPM. Adriana was there with Paolo and the rest of her team, in the Bullpen, working constant, nine, ten, even 12-hour shifts. He was still poring over Lady Destra's email to him. It had arrived late evening about four days ago, and he'd already read it numerous times, but he could not help but read it again. He needed to see if it was real. He needed to believe that he wasn't alone this time, stuck in the middle.

He began to type out a response, and started a new one about six times because he was so displeased with the first five he had begun to write. They were tasteless, or boring, or dry, or just... stupid. Finally, he found one he liked, and he capitalised on it, like a true Pacitalian.

http://kfox.gamehorizons.net/Pacitalia/coatofarms_Medovicia.jpg
Official Statement of the Prime Minister
Federal Central Government
Democratic Capitalist Republic of Pacitalia

Signora Lady Destra --

I am honoured and flattered by your wonderful suggestion. Suffice it to say, I concurrently agree with your ideas, and believe you are sound and true in your judgment of the situation that has befallen so many nations over these last few weeks and months. We both seem to know what we must do - the road we are about to take is the strongest and most plausible one.

We have both come to a fork in the road, and we must choose wisely. I believe that we both have our nation's and each other's nations' best interests in mind in what we are about to undertake, and with that, I accept your request for negotiations on the strengthening of economic, social, cultural and diplomatic ties between Pacitalia and Euroslavia. It would be a great honour for me to have such a strong bond with the Modified Freedom Forces of Euroslavia, a nation we so greatly admire above most, and have done for many years.

It would be my pleasure to host you here in Timiocato, but it would equally be my pleasure to attend conferences in Arcadia should you prefer to stay at home and strike a deal. I am looking very much forward to such talks, so that, as you so aptly said, we can create a stronger friendship, even from something so futile and destructive as war.

My best wishes to you, madam. You truly are a ruler above rulers.



Sincera in domina bene,

Dr. Timotaio Fortanescu Amacano Jared Ell, MPP
Prime Minister of Pacitalia

He liked it so much, he didn't even self-proofread it, or ask Adriana to. It would have been a mistake in any other circumstance, but it was a solid response, one he knew would certainly fuel the discussion between the two great nations that seemed to still be finding themselves.

Above all, Ell thought to himself, it would right the wrongs that had been done. He regretted his blindness towards Euroslavia's diplomatic reaching-out towards him over the past years, and felt he had to do everything he could to make it up. Now was a great time to begin, and either Timiocato or Arcadia would be the place.

Within the capital, Lady Destra and Lady Marona awaited some sort of reply. It had been four days now, with no official response from Pacitalia and its leader. Destra was starting to wonder if the telegram had made it to the country in the first place, or if it had been simply ignored. One could never tell, though she could easily check the database to see if it had been received. The computer tracked any e-mails sent out, and when it had been opened, if in fact, it had been.

Destra walked into her office, after a press conference in front of the citizens of Arcadia, outlining a few new energy policies that had been undertaken by the Minister of Energy. So far, the policy had been a success at cutting energy usage by 3%, which was more than helpful. The government also awarded those throughout the nation that were known for conserving energy, and had willingly done so to a few companies, who had switched to solar power.

Sitting down at her computer, she turned on the computer, and pressed the button to the monitor, in which a quick flash of a blue screen had occurred. The computer loaded, but at a slower pace than usual.

"Damn computer. I need someone to update this thing, or get me a new one. It just isn't cutting it anymore, thanks to the continuous technological updates that had occurred every few weeks or so." as she cursed under her breath. "I suppose that's how they make their money. Cheap, but effective."

After the computer had finished loading, she made a few clicks of the mouse, and opened her mail. After reviewing any new mail she had received, she clicked on the "Sent" button, and looked over the message sent to Pacitalia. It looks as if it had been read, but still, no reply had come. Perhaps the Prime Minister had been busy? That was always possible. Destra herself had been quite busy lately, and didn't have much time to check her mail. Lady Marona was usually the one to point out to Destra that she had new offers and new contacts that should be reviewed.

A few seconds after looking at the mail she had received, and getting a few quick replies in there, a new e-mail had emerged in the Inbox, from Pacitalia. Perfect timing, in the very least. Destra gave a sigh of relief, and clicked on the "Open" button.

After looking it over a few times, she was quite relieved that the Prime Minister of Pacitalia had agreed with the terms of her letter, and had wished to discuss them in more detail. An invitation was also sent out that Destra would be warmly welcomed to Pacitalia, but also, the Prime Minister would willingly travel to Euroslavia for a meeting between the two, to hammer out the exact details of the furtherment of relations. She thought for a few minutes on exactly what her decision would be, and started typing.

Official Statement to Pacitalia


"First of all, I am thankful that we share the same views on this situation, and we are overjoyed in the fact that we have the opportunity to extend our relations even further. The situation at hand, with the wars still going on to this day with no diplomacy involved is certainly no laughing matter. Thousands upon thousands of troops as well as innocent people are dying in vain, and we simply cannot accept this, from either side.

I am looking forward to a conference between us both, to create new ties between our two nations, and to show the world that we're ready to stand for what we believe in, rather than giving in and going to war for no logical reason. We would also note that Iuthia, an ally of Euroslavia, has remained neutral throughout all of this, and we wish to commend them, in doing so. There are still a few nations out there that value the decision of neutrality, and we will remember this. Euroslavia does not forget, my friend!

I would personally be honoured to take a visit to Pacitalia, if you would allow it to be. Call it personal preference, but I, as well as Lady Marona would enjoy to see the sights and sounds, as well as learning more about Pacitalian culture, which we have heard about from some of the members of our Cabinet whom have travelled there for vacation. If you would receive us, we would be forever grateful."

Lady Destra nos Thiendrel,
Free Dictator of Euroslavia

Destra had stopped typing, and had hit the send button after reviewing her response to make sure there was nothing that could have been misunderstood. She was fairly certain that her letter had gotten to the point, and had described her position among the recently developing news. She had hoped that it wouldn't take another four days in receiving a letter back from Pacitalia, but she was never one to be impatient. Receiving this letter today showed Destra that the Prime Minister of Pacitalia was interested in her offers, therefore, she had nothing to worry about, in the fact that her letter would not be ignored or thrown away.

At that moment, Lady Marona walked in.
"Hear anything from the Pacitalians?"

"Yes, we received a letter from them approximately one hour ago. I didn't waste any time in returning the favor, and in fact, just sent a reply back to the Prime Minister."

"Well, how does it look?" questioned Lady Marona.

Destra grinned. "Things are looking perfect so far. Everything is falling into order at this point. The Prime Minister suggested that we have a conference between us, and I returned the reply letting him know that we were interested in traveling to Pacitalia."

Marona looked excited after hearing Destra's response. "I know this isn't a vacation, but I've been looking forward to a visit to Pacitalia for quite some time now. You know, the Minister of Defense visited Pacitalia a few months ago, and wouldn't stop ranting and raving about how beautiful it was. I need to see this for myself."

"Well, you'll get the opportunity once we receive a reply back from Pacitalia, hopefully one saying that it's ok for both of us to travel there."

Ell heard the electronic beep as a reply-mail came into the inbox from Euroslavia's free dictator, Lady Destra nos Thiendrel. He moved from the enormous report on hydrogen fuel he was supposed to sign about 17 times in the course of six pages, to his state-of-the-art computer, and clicked the mail icon on his Bluefox axtra.10 operating system. He typed in his 18-digit, three-hour-rotating password and watched as his inbox materialised on the screen in front of him with the news from Euroslavia.

"Excellent," he murmured to himself. He began to type out his reply.

http://kfox.gamehorizons.net/Pacitalia/coatofarms_Medovicia.jpg
Official Statement of the Prime Minister
Federal Central Government
Democratic Capitalist Republic of Pacitalia

Signora Lady Destra nos Thiendrel -

I would be honoured and humbled to host Lady Marona, yourself and any size delegation here in Timiocato for the talks. I have no qualms in agreeing with your Cabinet members when they speak of Pacitalia's remarkable cultural and natural beauty and its fascinating history - as I'm sure you and Lady Marona will find that you have a wonderful time as our distinguished guests. Pacitalians that have heard the rumour of an official agreement between our two nations are excited already about the prospect of hosting you, and would welcome you with open arms.

Please let me know when you think you would find it a good time to attend these diplomatic talks. I am, like my people, excited to host you and show you, first and foremost, how beneficial a treatied relationship would be, and secondly, how scenically marvellous Pacitalia is.


Sincera in domina bene,

Dr. Timotaio Fortanescu Amacano Jared Ell, MPP
Prime Minister of Pacitalia

Things were shaping up very nicely, and Ell, for the first time in a week, sat back in his ergonomic chair, his hands folded behind his head, relaxing and smiling to himself about the honour of hosting Euroslavia for this conference. Inwardly, he did feel a little disappointed that he would not get to see Arcadia for the first time, but he could get to that later - possibly after retirement. The success of this agreement, which he was already, to himself, calling PEFTA (Pacitalian-Euroslavian Free Trade Agreement), would ensure his being welcome there for the rest of his still young life.

Lady Destra was outside of the Palace along with Marona and a few of the other Ministers having a conversation when a messenger approached the group, bowed, and spoke, "M'lady, you have received a reply from the Prime Minister of Pacitalia. It seemed pretty important."

"Ah, yes it is. Thank you for letting me know." Destra stood up and bowed back. "They replied quite speedily to our response, compared to before."

Destra walked back into the Palace and into Marona's office, which ironically Destra was in more often then the Minister of Foreign Affairs herself, and sat down in the chair. She turned on the computer again, and went through the same procedure before. She knew immediately what she wanted to say, so Destra began typing away at her response.

Official Response to Pacitalia

"I'm very excited to hear that you are willing to host this conference on our relations. We're both looking forward to visiting Pacitalia, and taking care of the important things, such as furthering our relations, and hopefully some sight-seeing afterwards. One cannot miss an opportunity such as this, to look around, especially when you're conveniently within the nation. There are more important matters at hand though, than sight-seeing. A solution to all of these wars would be a miracle, though not likely to happen anytime soon. I suppose these conflicts will start to wear down and end themselves, but not without the loss of lives. There isn't much we can do in that aspect, but if we stood as a united front, perhaps something could be achieved?

Seeing as this matter is of the utmost importance to us, I would like to have this conference as soon as possible, but not to inconvenience you. Anytime in the next coming week would be good for both of us. We certainly wouldn't want to jumble things up on your end, so we will wait for a response on what time would be best for you to host us.

Lady Destra nos Thiendrel,
Free Dictator of Euroslavia


Satisfied with this response, she walked back outside of the office, and out of the front door to meet back with the rest of her Cabinet and Marona. The conversation, perfect weather, and the lemonade available for drink made this scenario bliss.

Heavily encrypted response

To: Lady Destra and Lady Marona
From: Tim Ell
Subject: Travel itineraries

Excellent to hear from you, my dear ladies. All we need to do now is finalise your travel itineraries, as preparations at this end are nearly complete. I look forward to hosting the both of you in Timiocato.