NationStates Jolt Archive

The rain makes a soft pattering noise on the broad vertical windows in the office that looks over the Art Deco geometry of topside Stonozka; the usually bright yellow-orange crescent orb of Saturn, an orb that takes up a good third of the sky and reaches out with its fine particulate rings to take up more, is obscured by low, grey clouds that flicker gently with lightning deep inside their cores. Soft rumbles belying the violence of conductive air flashing to plasma and back accentuate the trickling against the panes of thick armorglas, giving a quietly chaotic theme to the kzintosh's thoughts as he pages through the daily reports.

Intelligence Section reports in a folder sporting the sword and shield that there is a rumored Metus meeting somewhere, and that somehow this was more important than usual. Foot-to-Ass Section reports in a folder with crossed lightning bolts conflicts over Mars... again... with Zero-One becoming involved. Apparently it is an extrasolar conflict... that would be a first, at least for the Saturnian nations.

Another report and another folder; Speaker's orange-furred hand passes over the olive-branch-winged centipede insignia of his own alma mater, the International Relations Section. Flipping it open with suprisingly dextrous ease given his big four-fingered hands, he pages through until a bold heading at the top of one sheet catches his attention.

Bat-winged ears flicker slightly in response. His request for some investigation had paid off.

--<Transmission Type: Standard Diplomatic Communique>--
-<Sender: Supreme Emperor Speaker-Rrit, FSS>-
-<Destination: The Democratic Arcologies of Feline>-
--<Subject: Diplomatic Relations>--

To whom it may concern:

I am Supreme Emperor Speaker-Rrit, elected executive leader of the Federated Segments of Scolopendra and member of the First Among Equals in the Council of Yut. My alliance and my nation searched in the past for similar organizations and peoples who shared our ideals and, finding little, turned inward. It is time for our insular nature to cease. It is time for us to try again.

After another short search by my directive, my International Relations Section identified the United Alliance of Progressive States as an alliance in general and Feline as a nation in particular that we should be most interested in contacting. I believe that we share many of the same ideals in the equality of all forms of sentience and the limitation of imperialism and oppression. As such, I also believe that if we come closer together we will be stronger in the face of those adversaries that are so common in the multiverse.

I offer the opening of diplomatic relations between our two alliances. I hope we can arrange a meeting of envoys so we may learn more about each other.

http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/nationstates/scolopendra/speaker-to-animals.gifSupreme Emperor Speaker-Rrit
Chief of State
Federated Segments of Scolopendra

--<End Transmission>--

OOC: "King" is just a title we use for our president-for-life, to reflect the for-life nature. The King is easily recalled, and has powers roughly equivilent to the president of the United States.

Also, our tech ranges from 2004 all the way up to around 2050.

IC: King Boostei sat in his office... a hybrid of the fifty-thousand design styles popular in Feline. He read through his reports, one by one, on the computer screen. He came to one from the Foreign Ministry that piqued his interest, much more than Councilman and interest groups pleading for him to come out in support of this bill or that declaration, much more than the Department of Espionage and Covert Operations reports, due to its mammoth size they were at least a dozen an day, and much, much more than the advertisments that bombarded his inbox every day.

"It seems the Triumvirate's Scolopendra has contacted us back..." he read the message, and replied over a secure channel.

"We were much pleased to note your interest in the UnAPS and Feline, and would be more pleased at bringing about closer relations. Most of the UnAPS's most liberal members exited during a war, when, in planning for the aftermath, a few imperialists within the Alliance suggested we annex the nation. We stayed in, one of the few of the genuine liberals. We need more nations like you in it if we want to take it back... particuarly, if you join, we need to negate the influence of Scandanavian States, who has shown disdain for the ideals of the alliance on many occaisions, and has even proved a threat to it's security.

In light of these objectives, we invite you to enter the UnAPS by contacting our current Secretary General, who, to a lesser degree than Scandavian States, is one of these nations, regretfully.

We also invite you to meet with us, perhaps since you are on Saturn, on the Feline Space Station, a large space station constructed for trade, exploration, and defense against space nations. (OOC: I avoid future-tech FTL space nations, but if one of them declared war on Feline, I would fight it: I do not IGNORE just because it is inconvenient) It is located in the Asteroid Belt.

Again, we hope we will have a working and productive relationship with your nation."

Speaker-Rrit ponders this missive, then presses a small button inset in his desk. On the other side of the wall in the utilitarian low-walled Cubicle Farm that was the pinnacle of the Segments' executive branch, Senior Diplomatic Officer Magnus Hesche replies to the beeping from his own desk intercom. -Hey, sir. How goes it?-

"I need someone to meet with Feline, Hesche. Who is available?"

Magnus rubs his lantern jaw with one hand as the other starts pulling up personnel rosters of the Diplomatic Corps. -Hrm. Kommetrez is still out with Guanyu... I suppose we want a big name, huh? I could go.-

"You're needed to run IntRelate while Alshai is out," Speaker replies.

-Ever since Xanthal... I was told it was a sympathy f... er... run anyway. I promise I'll keep my wit on a leash.-

The kzin chuckles. "You do know that you are too valuable to simply send everywhere. Still, by this message, I believe the matter is somewhat delicate to balance. Delicacy is not necessarily your strong suit."

-Hrm... point taken, sir. I do tend to be rather boisterous, but I handled Vrak pretty well. Only way I'll learn, sir. Besides, I've been training Rychek to take up the reins just in case on my own time.-

Speaker sighs softly. "Very well then. I will send a message ahead of you... but only to test the additional redundancy you've installed."

-Thanks, sir, you're the greatest.-

--<Transmission Type: Standard Diplomatic Communique>--
-<Sender: Supreme Emperor Speaker-Rrit, FSS>-
-<Destination: King Boostei, DAF>-
--<Subject: Re: Meeting on Feline Space Station>--

I find your suggestion as to the location of the meeting quite agreeable. I will dispatch my senior diplomatic officer on a Loki-class vessel to your station. He will have full authority to discuss matters on behalf of the Federated Segments.

http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/nationstates/scolopendra/speaker-to-animals.gifSupreme Emperor Speaker-Rrit
Chief of State
Federated Segments of Scolopendra

--<End Transmission>--

* - * - *

Hesche looks down at the little handwritten note in his tanned hands as he leans back in the gull-winged DropShip's spartan accomodations. From the mild spatters, it was written with ink from a jar as if from a quill; from the scratches, it seems like the quill was sharp enough to be a claw. It reads, simply, as:Full authority, Hesche. Do not err.

* - * - *

--This is Scolopendran Civilian Defense Corps Loki Charlie-Delta-Charlie Seventy-Two carrying Senior D.O. Hesche to Feline Space Station. Requesting permission to dock and approach vector coordinates and instructions.

(OOC: Feel free to fast forward through landing and all that.)

[Tagged. And really Feline, I hardly count a difference of opinion on the spirit of an article disdain. And please, don't taunt Scolo's boy like you did IV's, it's not conducive to diplomatic relations.]

OOC: I've got nothing personal against you OOC, although we do disagree on things OOC as well. My government was giving its IC opinion of your government, which really isn't that good.

Also, that's just that one diplomat... I figured I might as well throw a bit of petroleum on the fire, so to speak, to make that RP more interesting than it would have been already.

IC:

"You are cleared to dock at Airlock Five. Transmitting directions now."

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

The ship slid up and the airlock adjusted its shape to fit. The massive Feline Space Station's ran through its computer system a security scan of the ship, as was customary.

The massive space station was a sphere, and spun to generate artificial gravity. However, it was not like a Bernal Sphere. Rather, it was an arcology like the other's of Feline's, but in space: A strikingly artificial environment, with many different interior designs schemes and ideas- like the arcologies, it could be described as a hybrid of Tokyo and Las Vegas, cities in Europe, New York, Boston, 2001: A Space Odyssey styles, Art Deco interior stylings, some Late Fifties Rat Pack influence, even some Romanesque elements- it was, if one had to pick one word, a confluence.

Running through the center of the sphere was first the massive quantum reactor (OOC: It's an IC-only power generation technology, there is now an envisioned OOC technology with a similar name though) running like a knife through an apple through the middle, and then a quantum computer right below it.

Running through, continuing the apple analogy, were tunnels of pneumatic tubes that carry people to the Level and Section (A level is a floor, a section is a subdivision) where they want to go. Park spaces, artifical ecosystems, were contained inside just like in the Arcologies. It was only lightly armed- it was a station of peace, diplomacy, and exploration.

A large crew of civilians and military jointly crewed it... the military wore special uniforms. Similar to the normal Feline military uniform, they wore jumpsuits. However, these jumpsuits had color-coded top areas in addition to the black bottom area, and wore a thing black vest with a nameplate/radio, and a pocket for equipment.

The airlock opened to reveal a corridor. It was an octagon, as were all corridors: Two large walls, computer consoles running along them every few meters. Lights on the small slanted sides of the octagon. Beneath and above the floor were thousands of systems, keeping the station running.

It was well-lighted due to the lights. A small hum of equipment pervaded everything, but visitors got used to it quickly.

A ring of Tactical officers in the Feline Space Navy stood there in their green-topped jumpsuits. They stepped aside, and out walked King Buster Boostei. He wore a translation collar, and he layed his tail down on the floor, sat down, and curled the tail around him.

"Hello. Welcome to the Feline Space Station. I hope you will find your accomadations comfortable. I'm unable to meet with you at the moment, but Lieutenant Andre Taina, the human to my left, will be able to get you settled. "Now, if you will excuse me, Senior Diplomatic Officer Hesche. Let's agree to meet for dinner. The computer can direct you there."

The delegation turned around, and walked out, leaving Lt. Taina behind. "Greetings, Senior Diplomatic Officer. Now, we have prepped an ID for you. Just pin it on. It'll store your personalized preferences for the computer consoles, allow your voiceprint to access the computer, and the like. Observe with mine."

He paused a second, and then said, "Computer, please direct us to the Senior Diplomatic Officer's quarters."

The computer beeped, and the nearest console to him displayed a map. "Follow me."

The computer made the map follow along the corridors with them, as they went into the lift, and up into the section that Hesche's quarters were in. They walked inside. "Due to the raw computing power we have... technology is a bit of a national obsession, along with politics and art, you can access any non-classified and non-personal information that is revealed to any computer anywhere that is connected, either directly or through other networks, to the Internet. The Feline Network has every film, book, and the like that we could secure rights to. You'll find a full terminal on that desk, a large touchscreen terminal perfect for watching video and the like on the wall over there, and a fold-out terminal by your bed perfect for reading information. If there's anything else, sir?"

Magnus Hesche looks, simply, like one of the overpowered ubermenschen that were so popular as the heroes of serial adventures in the Nineteen-Thirties. Blond, lightly touseled hair that always managed to fall naturally into a ruggedly attractive style; healthily tanned Caucasian skin indicative of an outdoorsy lifestyle but not one so harsh as to burn; a solid lantern-like jaw that looks as if it could crush diamonds; and a face that from the distribution of musculature alone looks prone to grinning. He's certainly not surprised by the felinid nature of, well, Felinids, quite used to the concept from working with kzin for so many years. Likewise, while he does smile diplomatically and nod at opportune times and examine the sights as is meet and proper, he doesn't grin like his face says he should.

At the end of the tour and after the question is posited, he nods with a smile. "Actually, yes, sir." To Magnus, a Diplomatic Officer essentially translates as a third lieutenant; any military officer is higher-ranking. "Please, 'Magnus' or 'Hesche' will do well; if titles are absolutely necessary, then 'Officer' will be just fine. 'Senior Diplomatic Officer' is just for those times when more formality is required than in general conversation; 'Officer' is just so more efficient, don't you think?

"Also, as a fellow human, I must ask if it's safe to grin around the felinids. Back home the kzin are a little jumpy around bared teeth but it's a habit I've never been very good at breaking." He grins broadly, exposing blindingly-white teeth. "The last thing I'd like to do is offend my hosts with something as mild as harmless body language. Any other cultural taboos I should avoid would also be much appreciated."

(OOC: Feel no need to explain or validate your tech to me, seeing how I am one of those spacedy nations and I'm very much content with the old "It's a doohickey that works and doesn't grant me godlike powers" explanation. :) It's all good to me.)

(OOC: Alright, and sorry for the huge delay.)

IC: "Alright, Magnus. And no, you don't have to worry. The cultures are so assimilated into one another that no one thinks anything of that. Feline's culture has very few taboos. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. Just ask the computer for me if you need anything."

[Insert Hesche's actions between then and the dinner.]

The computer beeped and played a form recording with substituted-in names and locations. "Guest, Senior Diplomatic Officer Hesche, your presence is requested by, King Boostei, in the, Lounge. If you require any assistance reaching the, lounge, I can direct you there."

Hesche spends his time on his own looking up Feline history and other things that will at least give him some tools to work with over time, smiling quietly to himself as he does so. He enjoys field work, even more so now that he does not get to do it as often as he once did. From the Gurlanai onwards, he had loved his career...

The computer beeping breaks his attention away from study, and he grins jovially at the cut-and-paste voice recording. "Well, alright, computer, I would be delighted to meet, the King, and will, accept, your offer of guidance." Having said that, he rolls his eyes and grimaces a little. "Best behavior," Hesche. Speaker said "best behavior." Is this your best behavior? No. Now get serious and on the game.

"Computer, please direct me to the lounge."

"Please step out the door. The terminals running along the wall will flash your name. Walk along the terminals flashing your name. When the terminal you are next to is not flashing your name, you will be at your destination."

King Boostei waited in the front of the longue. He was dressed in a typical Feline suit- somewhat reminisicent, except in the shoes, of the "Mod" look. Two guards by the door to escort them all into one of the private rooms.

Hesche, listening to his own exhortations, follows instructions, following the blinking path of "HESCHE"s through the corridors. This really cramps a man's style, he thinks to no one in particular, now I just look like a goof flying by instruments rather than my usual certain self. He still walks resolutely, but his eyes certainly do twitch back and forth between maintaining situational awareness and checking for his name, which makes him look uncharacteristically nervous.

His name ceases to appear, and, pausing a moment to get everything settled and back into his normal mode of 'here and loving it,' steps in. Bowing shortly to the King (and accepting any direction from the armed guards) he grins a broad, friendly, toothy grin of the kind slowly dying out in Scolopendra. His teeth are unnaturally white, his face bronzed, handsome but possibly overly so in his sedate diplomatic officer uniform (http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/nationstates/scolopendra/magnus-hesche-big.jpg).

"Good day, King Bootsei. I am honored that you have taken the time to meet with me."

(OOC: My site's down at the moment but should be back up on Saturday.)

OOC: I've been out of contact... long story. But I'm back.

IC: "Good day to you as well. If you will follow me, please, to the third door from the left. It's one of the private rooms and the only one open at the moment."

Boostei walked inside, revealing a room styled much like a French cafe. "Each of the private lounges is in a different interior design style. I hope you find this one acceptable."

After following his host Hesche nods, looking around at the slightly unexpected architecture and style. "Ya... it's very nice." Perhaps not my favorite style, but perfectly acceptable. "Certainly an appropriate atmosphere for a conversation. Hopefully all is well with you and yours, sir? The dossiers the International Relations Section provided me with concerning recent events seem to indicate that these are... possibly more difficult times. I would be very appreciative if I could come to understand things as you see them."

Boostei nodded. "Yes, it is. We certainly have quite eclectic interior design tastes in Feline."

"Yes, I'm doing well. As for recent events, do you refer to Haven diplomatic difficulties, or the Allanean situation? Either way, they are quite intertwined. Which do you want me to start with?"

Hesche frowns thoughtfully, one hand coming to support his broad chin. "Hrm. Allanea has been a thorn in our sides due to Mars and their bickering with the Imperium. This makes... what... three fronts they're engaged on now? Four? Let's start with Allanea and work back to Haven. Perhaps there's some way we can be of assistance in either case."

"Alright. Well, I'll start at the beginning. A long way back, Edolia and Allanea got into a war over some little thing. That was before Edolia's membership the UNAOTO, an organization that was shut down and reborn as the UnAPS, and the UnAPS. In the end, through not entirely military means, Edolia took over a small province of Allanea known as Axackal. Allanea, then, has become obsessed with gaining the territory back, mostly for reasons of national pride and ideology over firearms. Eventually, this culiminated in a war."

Boostei paused for a moment, and continued. "Allanea sent millions of men into this small, 680 kilometers across from the farthest east point to farthest west point, strip of land. The UnAPS, unfortunately obliged to defend Edolia against Allanea, had to send millions of troops in. We didn't send that many. Most of our troops went behind Allanean lines to shut down arms manufacturing plants, and otherwise try to stop Allanea's ability to wage war. And then we started to win."

He paused again, sighed, and took a sip of his catnip water. "Scandavian States and Edolia, two Imperialist nations with a grudge against Allanea, who is admittedly an imperialist himself, started making plans on the UnAPS forums to either divvy up Allanea, or impose absurd, Versaille-esque requirements on it. Many of the more progressive nations- Knootoss, who has since changed, Ilek-Vaad, Goobergunchia, left. We were the only really progressive one that stayed, thinking we could bring some reason to the UnAPS. We did, in a way... Allanea was not divvied up, reperations and restrictions were not imposed, etcetera, in the cease-fire. There's no formal peace treaty yet, but we're heading that way. Now, we're trying to make the alliance back into the progressive alliance stated in its name and its charter, but it's not going well. Which brings us to Haven."

He took another sip. "Ilek-Vaad organized a conference to help cool tensions within Haven. The place was a boiler, every delegate to the conference near throwing their bodyguards at eachother. Many say, as you probably have heard, that our delegate, our ambassador to Ilek-Vaad made it worse. She made it better, in point of fact. Her strategy is very unique, no one can pull it off like her. It usually only works in multilateral conferences... she gives the other delegates, with nothing in common, something to unite around: being pissed off at her. She's quite inflammatory, outspoken, has a short temper, and is prone to what is considered profanity by most nations, even more so than typical Feline citizens. Which makes her perfect to use this style that comes quite natural to her."

He took one more sip, finishing off the glass. "The conference was only a moderate sucess. Tensions have cooled to some extent in Haven, to subtle tension from overt hatred. The underlying issues are still there. So, what is your government's view on the matter?" he said, as he dropped the glass down into a discharge chute that opened up in the table, and tapped on a touchscreen in the table to order his meal and another glass of catnip water.

"Well, working on memory," Hesche says with a grin, "Allanea is certainly on our watch list. Ever since their incursion on Mars, both the Scolopendran Intelligence Section and the Triumvirate of Yut Special Services have them tagged as a potential future aggressor of that most curious sort--not aggression due to ideology, but aggression due to the fact that's just what they do. Unfortunately, this means we cannot take proactive measures to prevent ideological confrontation, as to eliminate the root of their rather antisocial tendencies would require the mass obliteration of several population centers, by our estimates... and perhaps not even that, seeing how they are a post-atomic culture." He frowns intently. "Needless to say, that's not something we do. It's simply an indicator of how deep the problem runs in Allanea..."

Leaning back, he folds his broad, tanned hands on the table. "Anyways, they're a problem and all we can really do is sit back and wait for them to do something foolish inbetween warnings not to. We do know that the Queendom of Zero-One, acting through Zero-One Monocorporation, is trading with Allanea... but given the reports, they're not trading anything of real worth. If anything, Zero-One EmCee is milking them for all they're worth. We know that they're an immediate threat to our Terrestrial interests simply because they exist on Earth, and a probable threat to our Martian interests. That's generally unacceptable, but we're hoping for the best there.

"Concerning Haven..." he frowns a little. "We're sorry to hear that. Given the slow expanse of reactionary supranational alliances such as Metus and the Ali'staan Accord, we find it quite disconcerting to find a progressive alliance so troubled. One would hope that such differences could be worked out but... sometimes thinks simply don't end up as desired. What have these other progressive nations done since they left, and how are your current relations with them?"

"Yes, it is remarkable and romantic in that certain way, how the Allaneans cling so strongly to their minarchist ideals and their imperialistic tendancies despite everything. Even excepting firearms, when it would be in the clear advantage of their populace, they continue to do things like eliminate environmental protections. The same with their constant invasions... they must be extreme nihilists. I don't mean that in the philosophic sense, now, I mean they have some collective self-destructive complex. We had pretty good relations with them before they went off the edge, and we're trying to slowly and subtly pursue better relations to... tame them."

He paused for a moment.

"As for the reactionary supranational alliances, it is quite troubling. I've been trying to get the UnAPS to do something about it, but all they care about is the fact that Allanea wishes to kick Edolia's arse. Nothing about the ideology of the Accord, even though it claims to have none. Nothing about Metus... they don't care about Metus at all." he said, shaking his head. "Now, our relations with those countries are intertwined, yet again, with further discussion of the alliances in question. Allow me to veer off for a moment."

He took a sip, and began. "I'll start with Knootoss. Since then, a new conservative government has come into power, and is pursuing a policy of totally unemotional, unflinching economic expansion. They are also pursuing very thinly vield imperialist policies. Now for Ilek-Vaad. They have remained as they were, by and large, especially now that the party that got it more involved in international affairs has returned to power. We're pursuing some back-door diplomacy dealings with them, which I am only at partial liberty to discuss, broadly, they are plans to further democracy and liberal policies, much like what the UnAPS should be. As for Goobergunchia, it is quite simple: we have heard nothing of them since."

Hesche nods. "You also mentioned the Scandinavian States; what of them? From our own diplomatic feelers there appears to be something of a schism there.

"We do deal and have somewhat cordial with Knootoss via KIST; we were fairly instrumental in building up the fair-trade policies in that organization. Still, the reports from Diplomatic Officer Mubarak are disconcerting at best and truly frightening at worst. We've never dealt with Goobergunchia or Ilek-Vaad, though I hope your quiet relations with the latter go well.

"Other than the obvious--Allanea--what are some of the greater threats you see confronting the UnAPS?"

OOC: It's Scandavian States. He misspelled it when he was making his nation, but says to call him by the misspelling.

IC:
"The Scandavian States is a country in Haven, a member, for some reason, of the UnAPS. The country says it joined only for the mutual protection and trade benefits, says explicitly that its policies are not progressive, flagrantly violates sections against imperialism and tyranny in the charter, says it has the right to violate those sections, is not a democracy, and is part of a triumvirate that essentially controls the UnAPS- Mintar, Edolia, and Scandavian States. Edolia has entered a period of isolation, and had such a strong grip over the UnAPS as to be able to name a replacement candidate for Secretary General, and have them run uncontested and win. That is, of course, another dictatorship. Mintar is also in isolation. We have limited private contact with the Edolians, they will be ending their isolation soon."

"That is quite the difficulty." Hesche idly examines the checkered tablecloth for a moment, wondering for a moment where he's seen something like this before. "I suppose then that trying too hard to look for like minds in that direction would be something of a wasted effort. Have you tried to make diplomatic headway with other, possibly newer, nations? While the rise of autocracy is disheartening, there certainly have to stil bel some worthwhile nations out there."

"Not in the UnAPS. All the nations that do fit the bill care more about national sovereignty than popular sovereignty. Of course, we make the argument: What is a nation- the government in power at the moment, or the beings living in it. They completely ignore it. We've tried everything. Now, we don't intend to leave the UnAPS, just so we can prevent them from going completely off their rockers like they did when they almost annexed Allanea. As I said, they probably would have done it if not for us. But we are getting pretty tired of always having to row against the current. Now, if you will excuse me for a moment, I must use the litterbox."

Boostei got up, and walked towards the restroom. There were computers in every room of Feline arcologies and space stations, and the bathroom was no exception. He entered in the proper authorizations to let him use the comm array, and a message was sent off to Earth. Boostei walked back to the lounge, and sat back down. "Now, I believe we were discussing autocratic states in the UnAPS?"

(OOC: The message sent off is a telegram relating to this discussion that I am sending to another country. You'll find out about it IC soon.)

Magnus chuckles softly with a flashing white grin, tanned lips naturally quirking up in a smile. "Not really," he replies, "actually, I asked whether Feline was making any headway in making connections outside the UnAPS or its previous members. If you want to talk about autocratic states in the UnAPS, though," he says with a humorous glint in his blue eyes, "that's fine too."

"Well, I believe the topic had drifted in that direction. As I said before, we are working in a somewhat undiscussable, at least for the moment, manner with Ilek-Vaad to promote these ideals of ours. I think we've pretty much completed that discussion, otherwise. So, what's the next topic up?" Boostei said, stalling for time as the message was sent to Earth.

(OOC: Actually, I've already gotten the telegram, but it's not quite realistic for that to take a short time going from the Asteroid Belt to Earth. I'll post it in my next post, I suppose.)

Through a history of diplomatic service and some special talents, Hesche gets the idea that something is up. A few nervous motions, a bit more activity around the eyes, momentary fluctuations of the pupil, involuntary dilation of the irises. Added to experience in negotiation and diplomacy, and stall tactics easily become evident. So why is there a reason to stall now?

"Oh, I don't know," Magnus replies innocently, folding his hands, "I'm just curious as to whether there's anything else that's particularly worrying you that maybe my government and I should be aware of. We can't see everything at once, of course, and so it's quite useful to find those of like minds willing to assist. Are there any questions you might have, beyond that?"