NationStates Jolt Archive

A short, indefinably ugly man spears a leaf of lettuce and chews contemplatively. Lunch is usually a haphazard affair, but today he's taking the time out for a business meeting with his top Ministers. "Good work on the Arnor job, Alice. Keep it up." He takes a bite of chicken and nods. "What's next?"

There is a show of datapads being shuffled as the next item on the agenda is consulted. "Iuthia's message to the NDA (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=6848427&postcount=93)." Alice Bertall announces. "No one has commented on it yet, but the Council agrees that given our lack of contact with them or their alliance, UnAPS, further investigation is warranted."

Ben Vitner frowns, his role as Minister of Intelligence forcing him to be ready with answers before the questions are asked. "The United Alliance of Progressive States are ideological foes of the NDA. They've also been engaged in multiple wars since their founding, and have taken decidedly aggressive stances regarding what they consider their sovereign territory."

Treznor raises an eyebrow and swallows. "Then I suppose it's a good thing we haven't butted heads yet. Can't blame them for the sovereign territory bit, though. Anything specific about Iuthia I should know about?"

"They've got a substantial military, but they're among the most peaceful of the UnAPS bunch. They've been stressing diplomacy and negotiation, and they keep to a largely dictatorial form of government. Their only weakness that I can see is that their economy is about average; they might struggle with some membership requirements. Other than that, and the terms they're bound to in UnAPS, they seem to be ideal NDA material."

"I don't think I want any more attention from UnAPS than we absolutely have to," adds Roger Holly, the Minister of War. "They're a larger alliance than the NDA, and have some notorious warmongers in their midst. I don't want them sticking their noses into our affairs; Iraqstan hasn't stopped their genocide campaign against Um Lizaa."

Treznor nods and turns back to his Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Alice, you're on again. It looks like you're going to need to send in a diplomatic team with two missions: open relations with Iuthia, and find out how tightly they're bound to UnAPS and that constitution. I don't need to remind you that discretion is paramount."

"No, Your Majesty." Alice puts down her wineglass. "Shall I contact other members of the NDA to enquire about their plans? It would probably be good to show a united front."

"Naturally. I'll bet Nath has already had this conversation with her people, so you can expect the Dominion to move quickly. Make sure everyone else has been invited to send a delegate."

"Very good, Your Majesty."

Treznor dips a piece of chicken in his salad dressing and chews it carefully. "Right. Next?"

SuperPlexus, Tsarainese Data Networks

The Commonwealth Library of Tsaraine was quiet as always, with only the distant murmur of voices to distract Rene from her work. Currently that work was burecratic, like the vast majority of her work these days; approving everything from new housing developments in Kel Eridhant and Nova Reio to new factories in Deep Tsarai and new research projects in the Eyrie.

The message which popped in from the Empire of Treznor was a welcome distraction from such necessary boredom, then.

"Query: Iuthia, basic data. Compile and report."

Once the various smart (but by no means sentient) algorythms of the SuperPlexus had done that, Rene settled down to read. Iuthia seemed, of itself, rather pleasantly in accord with the principles of the NDA - very much so, in fact, almost the perfect model of an NDA state. It even managed to coincide nicely with most Tsarainese views on the avaliability of basic necessities and amenities.

The UnAPS alliance, however, was not something Rene liked the look of; stricken by pandemic warfare, with Article Two, Section Three of it's charter specifically forbidding harsher measures in governance, she could see little chance of happy coexistence between the two alliances. How Iuthia could manage straddling such a fence would be interesting to find out. If they could, they would certainly be skilled indeed.

"Query: Diplomat-Commandants, currently unassigned and able to travel. Compile and report."

The algorhythms came back with their reply; Kital ralVhari was the only Diplomat-Commandant of rank currently within Tsaraine, having recently finished his scheduled "off" period after a difficult assignment in the theocratic, capitalistic Border State of Arai Aestrakhorko. Before that, he'd represented Tsaraine by proxy in what the diplomatic community referred to as the "Eniqciri Insanity Example Number One", commonly known as "the "Moving Mars" idiocy". RalVhari would do fine in Iuthia, and certainly deserved a more "low key" assignment.

Rene quickly penned missives to the Empire of Treznor and ralVhari, advising both of her decision to send the Diplomat-Commandant along, and returned to her paperwork.

Begin Transmition
Encryption: NDA Eyes Only: SECURE
TO: NDA Member Nations
FR: Ambassador Calvin Drzka
RE: The Iuthia "Situation"
TX:
As one might assume from our nation, we will be taking a much more... subtle approach to dealings with Iuthia. The Hack will not be opening an embassy at this time, however we will be monitoring both NDA success, and Iuthian actions. A set of "tourists" are already en route for further intel gathering.

We will, of course, share our findings with member nations, per standard disclaimers.
End Transmition

(ooc: apologies for brevity and lamitude, but I need to at least try to get this going. shall endeavor for better in future posts.)

Nathicana had been quite firm in her opinion that Evangelista was the right woman for the job. In truth, it technically was her job, being PR Minister for the Dominon. She had gained a good measure of confidence in her more recent trips, though she hadn't been exactly backwards before. One could not reach this level and be weak, after all. Still, she never had developed quite the same drive some of her countrymen had - a fact for which she was grateful.

In studying the Iuthia situation, she (and Nathicana) had both noted with concern their current ties, and those that could cause problems in the future if not dealt with on the level now. And she ... she was to be the one to get a feel for Iuthia firsthand. Well, me and whatever covert ops Nathicana could be running, knowing her.

She began compiling her files, printing out a page or two in between writing a quick response to the Empire of Treznor.

It would seem as though we've an interesting prospect on our hands. I have been assigned the task of more closely investigating Iuthia on behalf of the Dominion for inclusion into the NDA. I hoped to perhaps swap notes and work together towards a beneficial solution. If such a joint venture and travelling plans would be welcome, please indicate via return transmission at your earliest convenience.

--Evangelista Ravanelli, Dominion Minister of Public Relations

TSMIT Broadcaster
Encryption: None
Broadcast type: Diplomatic
To: Lord General James deGritz
Foreign Minister Mick Lakely, Iuthian Diplomatic Corps
Return transmission band: Open
IDENT: Devon Treznor - Treznor

On behalf of the Non-Democratic Alliance, I formally request the opening of introductory talks. For this purpose we are request a visit to Iuthia, to see for ourselves the people and government seeking admission to our ranks. Alternatively, we can hold these talks at Unity Island, our alliance headquarters, or at a mutually agreed upon neutral territory.

The following delegates will be attending these talks to represent the NDA:

Diplomat-Commandant Kital ralVhari, of the Greater Ascendancy of Tsaraine
Evangelista Ravanelli, Dominion Minister of Public Relations
Ambassador the Honourable James Grant, Chief Ambassador of Treznor
Ambassador Catherine Ravon, Junior Ambassador of Treznor
Please find attached dossier files on these individuals and their staff members.

http://www.pwfc.org/images/gallery/smtorso3.jpg
Devon Treznor
Emperor
<end transmission>

To: Emperor Devon Treznor, Treznor
From: Iuthian Diplomatic Corps, Central Command, Iuthia Prima
Subject: Introductory Talks
Message:

On behalf of the Benevolent Dictatorship of Iuthia, we accept your request for introductory talks within our nation to take place at our Diplomatic Corps Centre within Iuthia Prima.

Should delegates of Treznor or any other nation wish to raise any security issues with us please feel free to contact our Security Liaison, Darian Parsons for further information and answers to specific questions.

You'll find details regarding the location of such talks and the hotel for your delegates as well as proceedures to take when entering Iuthia on the following attachment: [Attachment: 0001]

Thanks,

Foriegn Minister Mick Lakely, Iuthian Diplomatic Corps

Undersigned,

Lord General James deGritz, leader of the Iuthian People

General Description of Iuthia for the "Tourists":

[Feel free to interpret this how you like, obvicously I don't control what your people are up to but I feel that in order for you to RP getting information about Iuthia through covert methods I should cover some of the available data.]

Introduction: First thing tourists notice upon entering Iuthia is the rather extensive security measures taken in order to try and secure Iuthia's airports. Commercial aircraft flying into or over Iuthia must be among Iuthia's trusted nations list, as such getting into Iuthia isn't a direct affair, though it's doubted that any nation wishing to spy on Iuthia is actually going to fly direct from their nation in anycase.

Meanwhile on the planes going to Iuthia or stopping off in Iuthia are booklets informing tourists and visitors of the laws they are expected to follow, from reporting into a hotel directly after leaving the airport to the notifications that the privacy laws are much more lax when it comes to monitoring tourists.

The security in the airport both on a personal and a military level is verging on paranoid. From the air it is possible, if you have the background knowledge, to notice anti-air defence and possibly other over-protective measures. On ground level the security seems less hostile, but it remains excessive. Tourist's luggage is much more likely to be searched and it's not uncommon for complex items to be taken apart if they have reason to suspect something, with compensation offered for damaged goods.

After reporting into your hotel (which informs the authorities of your arrival automatically) you are given pretty much the same freedoms as the citizens of Iuthia... the only exception being that your privacy isn't assured, it's just given to you on trust.

Buildings and Environment: Iuthia's cities look dull, there is no question about that as the imagination and appreciation for art within Iuthia are somewhat limited. The majority of building are built with endurance and effeciency in mind, with their aesthetic values taking a backseat. Alot of the more secure buildings are also built to be very defendable.

Expansion hasn't been a problem for Iuthia on the whole as the amount of land Iuthia has is comparable to that of Russia; each time they need more homes they can afford to build out a little more. As such there are many cities and the large number of trees that Iuthia once had have been reduced at an alarming rate.

Otherwise its a warm nation with plains and rainforrests in the less populated areas in and around the nation. There are many beaches on the east coast of Iuthia as well as a large mass of water to the west, the beaches are often good tourist traps, but only a few of them are top quality due to pollution. However, seeing as beaches help with the tourist revenue Iuthia tries to keep them clean.

Narcotics\Guns\Prostitution Laws: Drugs are freely available in stores around the nation, though some of the harder recreational drugs can only be bought in a pharmacy/store where you are informed fully of the effect, but you not prohibited from buying it. Quality is assured from these stores as required by the government. Prices are reasonable and can undercut the indepentant salement and assure safety... as such "drug dealers" are not the same in Iuthia and the criminal element is removed.

Guns however, are not readily available from Iuthia and buying them within the nation itself is concidered very hard and risky. The official weapons allowed are those of the military, though it should be noted that the Iuthian Peacekeepers are military and yet act as the nations police service. Buying a gun illegally means having to find a corrupt sales man with contacts in the Iuthian military or weapon industry... both are run by the government and are carefully monitored. It's not impossible but given Iuthia's society and indoctrination of the people it's alot harder then it would be in many other nations.

Prostitution, like drugs, is completely legal and carely regulated to protect both perverts and prostitutes alike. Prostitution is not a industry with works on Iuthia's streets, but in Iuthia's many brothals.

General Civil Liberties: The Iuthian people seem, after some investigation, to have alot of freedom in the running of their personel lives. The government doesn't monitor them; CCTV is rare with except to very public places, secure locations and hotels. They are free to walk around naked in the streets and if the day is warm and the job isn't too dangerous then any tourist in Iuthia will be able to see a reasonable preportion of Iuthia's population excerising this freedom... when pressed on their feelings about it many Iuthian are not embarrassed by this, it's natural in Iuthia.

The main concern an outsider may have about Iuthia's freedom is their complusory military service. Iuthians have an option to wait anywhere between 16-21 to fulfil this service; until they do so they are concidered to be an adolescent by Iuthian law and have some of their freedoms limited and replaced with protection laws in order to keep them from being prayed upon.

Many Iuthians accept this and the military service, which can take anything from a year to two years, is concidered to be like an extra year in school. The society has got used to this over the time it was introduced over 100 years ago and is now part of the right of becoming an adult.

Political Freedoms and Politics: These don't really exist in Iuthia, the Iuthian government usually works on a basis of who gets employed by the person above them, eventually working its way up to the Lord General himself. It is carefully monitored but it's not uncommon that lower level officials are a little corrupt and may accept bribes if the danger isn't too high.

Otherwise it is a complete dictatorship... who is in charge is usually a matter of who can stay incharge once they have taken control, there are no special measures though Dictators once in place usually stick to having members of their family preceed them. Currently the Lord General deGritz is in power and he has probably one of the most stable governments in Iuthia's history.

Some politcal observers have noted that this is because James deGritz has positioned himself in such a way as to make his removal more costly to most factions and making the stability of his power essential to the major factions. His approval of treating his people with respect and giving them civil freedoms has improved his standing... but in truth the Iuthian people are largly apathetic as to who is incharge, so long as they are doing a good job.

Law Enforcement: Iuthia's law enforcement is generally handled by the Iuthian Armies own "Peacekeeper" forces, trained specifically for their role as policemen in Iuthia. Essentially they are policemen, but they come under Iuthia's military funding and as such they have a reasonable budget in order to keep the people.

Generally keeping the order in Iuthia isn't a problem, as the majority of the nation are law abiding citizens and many things within Iuthia have been legalised or are not even concidered a crime. The majority of crime in Iuthia are from crimes of passion, such as a husband finding his wife in bed with his best friend.

Meanwhile trials are quite efficient, with the judges having more power to prosecute and less power given to the accused. While some may question this, the Iuthian people seem to be indifferent about it possibly due to indoctrination via the military service and upbringing.

Societies Mindset and Current Mood: Iuthia's society has always found the disapline to be a valuable virtue as the heart of the militaries ethos has leaked down into the mindset of the people. Clearly the use of the complusory military service over many generations has effected Iuthia's people in such a way it's become part of upbringing as methods are copied in schools and even the homes of parents themselves.

Of course, outside of the military it's done with more love and care, however the basic principals are often there. As such many Iuthian have trouble with understand artwork and their imagination is tied down to more practical uses.

As for the mood of the people at the moment? The Iuthian people seem moderately content, with some of the population in a celebratory mood due to Iuthia's Lord General announcing his intention to marry Liessa Valleron, a well know Iuthian elven celebrity. It's hard to find people who obvicously dislike the way the Government is run, but these people are rare... the majority of the population couldn't care eitherway.

Iuthian Diplomacy: Certain events have been in the news regarding Iuthia's current diplomatic efforts around the world, some of which have had more interest then others. One of the more notable situations came down to Iuthia's trade being harmed by the actions of their ally in the UnAPS alliance; Scandavian States, who inadvertantly damaged trade through careless actions around the region of Klatch, scaring local mercentile ships from making their shipment as around 400 vessels amassed in the region without so much as a communication to the nations of the region.

Scandavian States lost alot of face in the eyes of both the Iuthian government and the people recently due to the complete lack of respect shown at the start of the affair and towards the end of the affair even when Iuthian officials advised them against their actions.

In other news Iuthian attempts to peacefully avert war in The Fedral Union have been halted due to serious security concerns as one of the representatives of Austar Union were found to be a terrorist. The Austar Union has been adviced to pull out it's diplomatic staff from Iuthia until their security has been vastly improved.


For additional informaton: This concludes a rather long winded review of the inside of my nation... I've not covered anything too specific to allow for adjustment and to allow people whom wish to spy on me the oportunity to ask specific questions... which can be answered here or via telegram.

OOC: For RP purposes, we'll say that the NDA delegates meet at Unity Island before proceeding to Iuthia.

IC: Ambassador the Honourable James Grant faced his peers with his back straight and his expression stern. He kept one hand informally tucked in a side pocket of his formal jacket, thinking this helped him cut a more dashing figure. The fact that it made him appear all the more comical completely escaped him, and thus far no one had cared to point it out.

"Excellent, excellent. This looks like a very competent group. As senior Ambassador, I will naturally lead this delegation. Please take your cues from me. My understudy, Ambassador Ravon here will keep you apprised of any changes in our goals or agenda, and if you have any extraordinary needs, my aide will be happy to see to them."

Charles Bishop, standing to the left and slightly behind Grant, looked less than happy to hear that news, but maintained a largely stoic composure. He'd had a lot of practice.

"Now, these people have approached us, so there's no need for us to fawn over them or make any particular concessions. We're on a fact-finding mission, to judge these people for membership in our august alliance. Therefore, it's very important to keep your eyes and ears open. If you uncover any information that might be relevant to this end, I trust you will inform me immediately. I will then be able to decide on an appropriate course of action, if necessary."

Catherine Ravon, standing to the right and slightly behind, blinked in surprise, then shook her head gently. She glanced around to the others, attempting to convey with her body language a reminder that Grant was leader in name only. Even she sometimes forgot how seriously the Ambassador takes himself.

"Are there any questions?" Grant asked, by way of conclusion. Without waiting for an answer, he nodded sharply. "Excellent. Let's be on our way, then. If any of you think of something to ask, Catherine should be able to field them competently."

At last, something to smile about. Catherine nodded in agreement. "Of course, Ambassador."

"Very good. All aboard!"

The flight to Iuthia Prima International Airport concluded six hours later, without incident.

Meanwhile, James made a feint at the dummy, before pulling back slightly to make his attack. The contact made from the point of his fencing sword hitting the dummy set off the buzzer, he had hit his target in around about the place he had expected to.

“That was a nice feint you made then Sir, though you to seemed to take your time about it.” a raised voice called out to him from behind. James recognised it as that of his training partner and Minister of Foreign affairs, Mick Lakely.

“Heh Mick, I expect you too will be slowing down a little when you are at my age.” He turned to the man now walking down the large hall James used as a personal gym. Mick himself looked to be in his late thirties with a few grey hairs appearing on his normally dull brown hair. He was wearing a suit, which suggested to James that he was here on business, not play. “So I take it you have news for me then?”

“I just thought I’d inform you that the delegation from the NDA have entered our airspace and will be landing within the hour.” Mick stated professionally. “I will be meeting with them personally upon their arrival.”

“Ah, I see. Make sure to give them their freedom then, I want these people to have a good first impression.” commented James, wiping some sweat from his brow. He had aged with dignity and didn’t look too bad for a man on the verge of fifty years old, he hadn’t lost much of his hair, not that there was much to loose with a military crop haircut such as his, but it showed signs of greying with age. Meanwhile he had remained in reasonable shape, partly due to necessity as he needed to look strong and some of the previous diplomatic encounters he had were none to peaceful. Otherwise little could be said as he wore a suit for fencing in.

“Of course, James” he said this with a smile, he knew the Lord General well and seeing as this wasn’t entirely business he felt he may as well be a little more friendly. “I’ll make sure they see what they want… within reason, I’m sure we don’t want to look too weak either. Never the less Sir, I’ll see you later.” He gave a salute before walking back out from where he came.

“Later, Mick.” James replied before heading off for a shower.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the terminal in Iuthia Prima International Airport, Mick Lakely met up with Ambassador Kayla Harmone, another important figure in the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps. Kayla’s job as ambassador was an interesting carrier to follow, as other ambassadors were often stationed in various embassies across the world Kayla was something more of a freelance diplomat who had the title of ambassador because she often fulfilled a similar role during events where the nation in question didn’t have an Iuthian embassy.

More often then note Kayla’s job was to be present and to make judgements for James deGritz of certain people representing their nation in diplomacy and she was a trusted friend of James. However today she was to take a backseat to Mick Lakely, the Foreign Minister for Iuthia and just observe and assist.

“So what’s the latest Ms. Harmone?” He asked in a cold professional manner. Kayla was wearing her white dress, often seen when she was in formal situations such as this… for some reason while other members of the diplomatic corps had to wear suits, Kayla was permitted to break convention, possibly, Mick thought, because she wanted to register peoples reaction to it.

“They should be arriving within a couple minutes, they’re currently being prepared for landing, we should make our way on to the runway.” Kayla replied, almost in the same tone. She was young for someone in her position, maybe in her late twenties or early thirties. Others usually didn’t reach such a position until they are older but they had, like with many parts of Kayla’s work, made concessions.


It finally came to the moment of truth as the plane was being taxied into position on the runway so that the delegates could leave the plane. Outside the plane a small greeting party had formed along with a few security personnel.

[You’ll have to excuse me, this in-between event moments always stump me with what to post.]

Evangelista hides a smile as Ambassador Grant goes on. She and the other Dominion Ministers and diplomats were well aware of the man and his habits, after all. This was to be expected. However … she keeps her peace til they were preparing to disembark, then catches Grant lightly by the sleeve.

“Ambassador, if I may remind you,” she says politely, smiling warmly. “While you may be senior Ambassador where you hail from, you, nor any of the sovereign nations represented here, hold any sort of authority over the others. I myself am Minister of Dominion Public Relations, and preside over the entire diplomatic sector of my nation. The honorable envoy of our good ally Tsaraine holds a position of power and respect in his own nation as well. Now, while it could be argued that two of the three represent the Council on this joint NDA operation, that still leaves you in a position of co-leadership at best. And frankly, I find such an arrangement … cumbersome. I think it would be in our best interests if we combined our strengths and quietly agreed on how to proceed as the situation calls for it. While your offer of attendance by your capable aide is appreciated, I assure you I have no such needs. I am confident our hosts will provide most graciously.”

She flashes Catherine a quick look, and a reassuring smile, then looks back to Grant. “I’m certain that if we all work together our efforts will be much more effective, and we will all come away satisfied that our concerns have been adequately addressed.”

Shouldering her carryon bag, she gestures to the exit. "Shall we?"

OOC: Dumb question, but are we waiting for me?

OOC: Dumb question, but are we waiting for me?OOC: No, we're waiting on me. Bad week, sorry.

OOC: Okay, bad computer problems. My contributions may be limited, but let's see if we can't get the ball rolling again.

IC: Grant looks shocked at Evangelista's bald statement, and opens his mouth to protest but has no chance as she sweeps by him. He turns around to share his shock and outrage with his subordinates, only to find them with ill-concealed grins. He stomps after the Dominion representative in a huff, wondering how he can get in the last word. It never comes to him.

On the ground, the incident is largely forgotten in the interests of diplomacy as hands are shaken, names given and official protocols are followed. Eventually, the delegation is able to sit down in air-conditioned comfort with refreshments in hand to begin opening talks.

"Perhaps," Grant says with only the briefest of glances at Evangelista. "You could begin by outlining what you expect from the NDA, and we can elaborate on any details as we go along."

After introductions had taken place, the diplomats from the Non-Democratic Alliance were escorted by Ambassador Kayla Harmone and Foreign Minister Mick Lakely to a luxurious conference room at Lord General deGritz’s mansion. The trip was fairly brief and Kayla Harmone made a point of making polite conversation during the journey where as Mick Lakely made a point of fielding any questions forth to by the group.

Passing building as they travelled, the group could see that many of the building in the city centre were not only sturdy affairs, but on occasion they looked more like tall bunkers then they did sky scrapers. It was a warm day so some of the populace were talking around topless, though people walking to and from business were fully dressed for their job. The odd child could be seen walking naked, innocently being ignore by all but its parents who seems annoyed at it’s running near the busy streets. An odd image of Iuthia, with all its prevalent military influences the people seemed to be comfortable and content with the atmosphere…

It wasn’t long before the group’s cars reached the Lord General’s mansion; like many other Iuthian structures it was heavy on the defences, but it seemed that out of all the building in Iuthia this one actually tried to think about the aesthetics of the buildings design. Like most mansions it was large enough to house a small community and its gardens could easily be mistaken for a national park. A short ride up the driveway and the group was greeted by the Lord General himself, next to him stood his fiancée, Liessa Valleron, she was shorter then the others at the height of around 5 foot as her elven heritage (clear from her ears alone) gave her a look of delicate grace. Formally everyone was introduced and the party were taken to the conference room to begin talks. James’s fiancée didn’t follow but instead left the Lord General to his work, knowing this was important to him.

The conference room itself was rather luxurious with its wooden panelling and long wooden table with green felt on the top… various flags and military insignia decorated the walls and the windows allowed the warm light in. Iuthia was a warm nation so the window were left open, allowing some of the relaxed sounds of the environment to seep into the background of the room.

Ambassador James Grant from Treznor started the meeting, getting to the point. “Perhaps,” He started with a glance at the Dominions PR Minister. “You could begin by outlining what you expect from the NDA, and we can elaborate on any details as we go along.”

The Lord General fielded the question as was expected of him. “Basically I am looking to further stabilise Iuthia’s position in the international community through an alliance with a group of nations who suit my nations stance on the world and support our common goals; such as national sovereignty.” he took a drink of water and continued, there were several beverages of any type on offer, along with a spread of food should anyone get hungry. “We feel that we agree with the principles that the NDA stands for and we have much respect for the member nations, who have shown themselves to be very capable in regards to diplomacy. Recently we’ve worked with The Most Glorious Hack towards securing a peace deal between Feminany and nations who would deny them their right to rule their nation as they see fit.

“We expect that the NDA will support our attempts to resolve conflicts peacefully and will help to discourage nations from taking their anger out against our form of government. We are also attracted to the NDA through the additional diplomatic connections we would stand to gain along with possible trade agreements… we may not have such a substantial economy as your selves but we feel that it has done us well enough. We hope that we can bring as much benefit to the NDA as we would receive, we are fully prepared to support the NDA as required in your manifesto.”

Grant helps himself to a healthy portion of food and drink, never one to pass up on creature comforts. He nods gently to Catherine Ravon as he samples the fare on his plate and makes enthusiastic expressions regarding the result.

Catherine glances briefly at her notes before addressing the Lord General. "We're flattered you think so highly of us, Sir," she begins. "But we're not a very large alliance. We depend largely on hefty contributions from our member nations, both financially and militarily, for mutual defence. It's only by the generosity of our allies and the skill of our leaders that we've managed to navigate the troubled waters inherent in modern politics. There are always those looking to test our notions of 'peaceful relations.' Part of our instructions are to assess your willingness and capability to support nations who come under fire. Your record on diplomacy and negotiation speaks for itself; we'd like to observe what else you have to offer."

James always had a small glass of water in front of him, not being in the mood for much himself the spread was more for the guests then his own people. It was a reasonable range of foods well prepared, but while the food was good quality it concentrated more on being food then being artistic in anyway.

“Well, Ambassador Grant, as I’m sure the members of the NDA are fully aware; size isn’t everything. Many of the larger alliances we’ve seen in our own circles were more concentrated on quantity of members and not the quality, they focused on having ‘mutual defence’ but didn’t really think about having each nation support one another… Often they are more about having the strength to bully other nations. But ultimately such alliances never last as they find their connections outside of the alliance making situations complex, or perhaps one of their members has done something to anger a bigger fish so the majority of members won’t help out they ally.” James sighed and then took a drink from his glass before continuing.

“Such alliances are not what we are looking for. The NDA however is a different alliance; we’ve noticed that each member respects the other, that you support one another and have excellent reputations. We respect the NDA for the fact it’s members are high such a high calibre and are prepared to make such contributions. Which is where I come to Iuthia itself.

“You ask me what I can offer besides our diplomatic experience. Well, I consider Iuthia to be solid ground in comparison to the chaos of many nations in the international community; our Diplomatic Corps works to make sure that military action should not be required in situations we take interest in and our military make sure that should force be required we are capable of doing so. I imagine you will have noted by now that Iuthia has a strong military tradition ingrained into its society. Our military’s main objective is to keep Iuthia safe, beyond that we occasionally use them to support our allies when they are in trouble… though we’ll have to admit that there are limited examples of this because our allies are like us in that they are not the sort of nations to provoke a war unless there is no alternative. However, we have supported our long term allies in their rebellion recently…”

James paused for a moment… the reports as to the affects of the biological weapons used on the Iuthian Embassy during that time were still in his memory, it was a horrific affair which struck the hearts of the IDC.

“Since then the government regained control but it had to reconsider it’s pacifist policy, but at least we still have that ally. In any case I feel that should Iuthia be permitted into this alliance we will offer the same level of support to members as any of Iuthia’s close allies. Our economy probably is our biggest downfall, but it’s more then enough to support Iuthia and we expect that should the situation be desperate in the NDA we will offer what we can afford. Our military and diplomatic reputation are our strongest points I feel.”

Evangelista listens thoughtfully to the questions and answers, quietly taking notes now and then in between occasional small bites and brief sips. She is careful not to betray too much with her expressions, aiming for one of cautious neutrality.

"Please, allow me to thank you for your compliments, Lord General," She says when the opportunity arises. "It would seem, given your words, that you have become less than satisfied with some of the conditions existing in other alliances - which I am sure several of us can relate to. There are reasons, after all, that the nations of the ruling council created the NDA to begin with. Perhaps if you wouldn't mind telling us a bit of how you view UnAPS and your relationship to it?" Evangelista takes a slow sip of her water, taking careful note of James' reactions.

It stood to reason that these concerns grew from something concrete and within his personal experience - which suits her purposes just fine.



ooc: Sorry for the shortness - I hope that came out right all the same.

Kayla Harmone had kept reasonably quiet up until this point, giving the Lord General a chance to get his point of view across. However, UnAPS was her field of expertise being the Iuthian Representative to the Alliance for many years now.

“Our nations relationship with the UnAPS alliance is somewhat strained for the time being. The majority of the nations in the UnAPS alliance we have excellent relations with, we value their support and would like to remain on good terms with them… however, a small number of members have made the alliances principles become somewhat obsolete; the majority of their constitution is ignored and it’s becoming more of a ‘mutual defence’ alliance.”

James then took over again.

“These few nations have reduced UnAPS diplomacy to something which often lacks tact and grace, instead making up for such short-coming with size and strength alone. Often such an approach results in making the situation much worse. There are many examples of this; many of them resulted in the loss of members and the situation becoming inflamed. The loss of Knootoss was blown out of proportion, with a couple alliance members making a point of raiding their embassies after information was revealed from our secret discussions. More currently we’ve had trouble with members who are also in the OMP who damaged our trade interested in Klatch because they didn’t have the foresight to contact the region before going on a pirate hunt with 400 vessels…” James then sighed.

“As you can see… we’ve had our ups and our downs with the alliance. As it stands we could probably remain a member of UnAPS and be fairly certain that the constitution can’t touch us because of other nations who are flagrantly ignoring it. However, given our current status in it and our continued dissatisfaction with the alliance we are seriously considering taking our leave politely and keeping our connections with those whom we have good relations with.”

Catherine glances at Grant again, who nods and continues to sip from his glass. Catherine then taps briefly at her datapad before speaking again. "It is, in fact, your membership in UnAPS that concerns us the most at this time. While I'm sure the alliance has only the most noble of purposes in mind, we find certain portions of its charter to be particularly noteworthy. I speak of course of Article Two, Section Three. UnAPS nations pledge to oppose tyranny, aggression and imperialism wherever these vices make themselves known. Nations or alliances that oppress their people or engage in imperialistic or aggressive wars are deemed enemies of the alliance. Very strong language, wouldn't you agree? And yet, our own Mandate requires that we defend our members even if they oppress their people.

"Sir, how do you propose to reconcile this clear conflict of interest between the two alliances? Most particularly, how do you propose to mollify the concerns of UnAPS members, seeing how they took the defection of Knootoss poorly?"

Grant sets his glass down and clears his throat. "The last thing the NDA wants is to have your current allies looking our way and passing judgment upon us. We have our own hotblooded members, even on the Council, who have done their share to thumb their noses at the international community without a care for diplomacy. We're currently attempting to maintain a detente between two very powerful nations with hideously dangerous weapons. We're certainly not interested in arousing the ire of UnAPS if they decide we've been poaching in their waters, as it were."

“Personally I feel that the UnAPS alliance is too concerned with their business in Haven to be looking anywhere else at the moment. In any case they don’t follow their own constitution anymore, only a few nations have ever attempted to follow it and even after it’s been argued we still have nations who openly admit to imperialism and have senior positions in the alliance. As for enemies of the alliance… again that’s mostly to do with nations like Melkor and the Arda alliance; though in truth only a few nations have tried to have a proxy war with them and had a lot of other members shout at them for doing so…” James then sipped his own water before continuing. Through out the whole conversation Mick Lakely, Iuthia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, listened to James answer all the groups’ questions, there wasn’t much he could really add to it.

James continued. “The UnAPS alliance has become more of a mutual defence alliance and less of a alliance with a cause. Few nations left in UnAPS even follow the original cause and the majority of others, including Iuthia, remain only for the comfort of being around nations they trust… however it has been pointed out that we can do this without actually being in the alliance, though Kayla is our representative to the alliance, I’m sure she can cover the situation with UnAPS better.

Kayla nodded and continued where James finished. “Recently I’ve been dropping our senior positions in the alliance, partly because these ‘Senior’ positions don’t actually mean anything and are often ignored, but also because we’ve been considering reducing our part in the alliance and eventually leaving. We can, as James pointed out, keep our relations with the nations with being part of the alliance. The nations in UnAPS seem to accept this and understand our position.”

James took over again. “Personally I feel it’s important to respect that a nation rules itself and we have no place in interfering with it’s laws. This is way we are happy to apply for NDA despite Iraqstan’s reputation for complete lack of human rights. We have little place interfering with that because others could consider themselves to be within their rights to do the same to us, a nation which denies it’s populace the right to vote for a leader. On occasion we may condemn a nation’s action, but we wouldn’t interfere and we may even go as far as to move against nations who would.

“Seeing as we will likely be leaving UnAPS once we see the opportunity, we feel that issues rose in regards to their constitution and their attention will be less important. They have enough problems in Haven to completely ignore anything which may be happening in the NDA and seeing as nations like Iraqstan keep their problems in their own nations I couldn’t see UnAPS risking their necks to do anything about it.”

“It would seem we are in agreement then, yes?” Evangelista says, looking up from her notes, idly tapping her stylus against her lips thoughtfully.

“If your plan is to leave the UnAPS regardless, and your membership there seems to be the only real concern with your joining the NDA, it would stand to reason that moving forward with those plans would be the ideal thing to do, as well as this panel making its report to the Council, urging it towards a positive response, yes? I myself have been impressed with your diplomacy and tact, both here and in observing actions elsewhere, and with the thoughtfulness and planning you have exhibited in dealing with your UnAPS difficulties. I believe your goals and directions fit comfortably with our own, and that both Iuthia and the NDA in general, have much to offer one another.”

She smiles warmly at James, then looks to the rest of the delegation, more pointedly at Catherine than Grant, bless him. “If this be the case, and if there are no dissenting viewpoints, or further questions at this time, perhaps a short recess to communicate our findings back home?”

James nodded.

"Yes, we are in agreement Ms Ravanelli." He let a light smile betray this poker face, showing a hint of pleasure at the move to end the meeting. He continued to make his point. "It is probably about time we made our move out of the UnAPS alliance in anycase, we haven't noted any improvements recently and their elections leave us with no positions of importance... so we won't be damaging the alliance with our withdrawal."

He now allowed the others present to make comment before concluding the meeting.

Grant dabs at his lips delicately with a napkin and sits back with a sigh, restraining the urge to glare at his Dominion counterpart. "I'm afraid my concerns regarding UnAPS' apparent apathy have not been assuaged, but for the moment I'll concede there's nothing to be done about it. I think a short recess would be good, while we confer." This time he directs a quick glance at Evangelista before continuing. "What say our colleague from Tsaraine?"

Catherine stirs but makes no comment. Behind them both, Charles Bishop closes his eyes briefly and sighs.

James nods, albeit looking a little disapointed behind his poker face. Never the less regardless of the overall outcome of this meeting it would be better then being in limbo for much longer.

"Very well, we'll break for a short recess while you and your colleagues discuss matters. Say twenty minutes?"

The NDA delegates were permitted to carry various snoopers designed to assure that area they were left in was not under surveillance. While the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps concidered itself to have a rather good reputation and had never been caught in the act of spying (possibly because they were good at covering it up, but the most general assumption is that Iuthian's don't like eaves dropping and concider it dishonorable... thus their poor level of intel on many nations around the world), it was known that just because they had a good record people were still unlikely to trust them... as such surveillance detection devices were permitted in order to allow them to make sure for themselves.

((I'm aware others may wish to post before this, but meh... I thought I would at least bump this.))

“Grazie, President deGritz,” Evangelista says with a pleasant smile. “And thank you also for your hospitality. I would think that ample time for a short discussion.”

Once alone, she lets the others handle the task of checking for bugs if they so wish, her opinion of it being either the Iuthians truly have nothing to hide – the most likely in her mind, given her impressions so far – or that their surveillance equipment is good enough for them not to be concerned about it. Turning to Grant expectantly, she maintains her pleasant smile, pushing aside her notes to give him her full attention.

“Alright then, Ambassador. Just what is it that has you so ruffled? And what exactly are your concerns, given the fact that withdrawal from UnAPS seems to clear up the only point of contention?”

"I am confident that the UnAPS will not risk war over this," ralVhari replied quietly "They may leave something to be desired where diplomacy is concerned, but I am sure that they are not stupid" Like the Thelasi, he thinks but doesn't add, "Or deluded." Like the Eniqciri. "And the UnAPS is the only objection I can find against Iuthia becoming a member of our alliance."

Grant scowls and folds his arms theatrically. "I'm merely following orders, madam. We musn't look too eager to bring them into the fold, after all, and we've only just begin our visit. If it becomes necessary to negotiate, I do not wish to weaken our position by appearing so enthusiastic."

Catherine steps forward. "He is following orders, though. Our Emperor's judgment is that UnAPS is one of the more unstable elements in the world, and unpredictable. If they decide to object to Iuthia's membership, they could reasonably look closer at us to justify their position. Even without the problems created by some of our more...devout allies, many of us qualify for 'intervention' under the UnAPS' rules."

Grant glances suspiciously at Catherine momentarily before nodding. "The fact that they haven't before doesn't guarantee that they won't. My orders are to ensure that either we can minimise the potential for UnAPS involvement or that Iuthia's membership will be worth the trouble it might cause."

OOC: For the purpose of getting things rolling, I'm going to fast-forward this thread a few days.

IC: Catherine takes the datapad delivered to her by special courier and presses her thumb to the biometric sensor. "Catherine Ravon," she says. The pad blinks green to show identity confirmation, then unlocks the information stored within. She reads it quickly, then smiles. A moment later she knocks on the door of Ambassador Grant's room.

She hears him clear his voice in surprise and irritation, then call out, "Just a moment, if you please!" A moment later, he opens the door while still buckling his pants.

"I apologise, Ambassador. I hope I didn't disturb you," Catherine says solicitously.

"Not at all, my dear. I was just...er...preparing for a bath."

Catherine ignores the sight of feminine clothing strewn across a chair, and the cloying scent of expensive perfume favored by some local women. She can't tell from the garments visible whether the woman was high or low-born, but she makes a note to find out who is "entertaining" the Ambassador.

"This just arrived, Ambassador. I thought you should see it, and call for the others."

Grant accepted the datapad solemnly and read it through. "They've done it. This would seem to be the answer we were looking for."

"Perhaps, Ambassador."

"Of course it is, girl. Now, go fetch the others. I'll meet them in the conference room in ten minutes." He pauses for a moment, then shakes his head. "Make it twenty."

"Yes, Ambassador."

What now, I wonder?

Unsurprisingly, Grant had been about as much nuisance as help. The man certainly enjoyed his creature comforts, and almost seemed more concerned with his image and ego, and making sure everyone else knew just how important he was as well, than the task at hand.

Catherine, of course, had been much more helpful. The Emperor had definitely known what he was doing in assigning such a capable woman to the team, allowing Grant to be the public face while she quietly kept the ship from sinking. It wasn’t that Grant was bad perse – he did have his uses. It was more that he was, well ... Grant, really.

Gathering her things, Evangelista made her way to the conference room, intending to be there early. She’d gotten the news of course. Iuthia had withdrawn from UnAPS, and so far, there had been no serious fallout. Even better.

When the Ambassador and his party arrive, she looks to him with a pleasant smile. “Well, Ambassador Grant. What concerns do you have to bring before us today – or has the recent news reassured you enough that perhaps your mind has changed?”

After the recess, the diplomats from Non-Democratic Alliance moved on to some of the smaller details; simply going through the few points Iuthia was able to cover in the Manifesto, such as their diplomatic history, military capabilities (though the information given was limited to information already available and didn't include specifics) and Iuthia's economy. On the whole the point was to just brush over the minor details to make sure nothing was missed.

With that out of the way, the diplomat took their leave to their pre-booked hotels. They were given freedom to roam the city, trust being granted on the basis that these people were trustworthy enough to allow them to look around and enjoy their stay without fear of espionage... in anycase the sensitive areas would have strong security, it was unlikely they could do anything reguardless.

Looking around Iuthia Prima the diplomats could see Iuthia's stereotypical lifestyle; hard work during the day followed by an active nightlife in the city centre. It wasn't uncommon to notice the occasional semi-nude person; male or female. While it is perfectly legal to walk around naked; few people actually did due to practicality. During the night people often dressed up to go out, though some of the more interesting clubs had a dress code which concisted of paint being the only coverage permitted...

Among many of the activities available; brothels were something permitted and supported by the government in Iuthia... it was concidered safer to have state registered prostitution which would have it's own place in the city, not on the streets where the people could do their work safely and get medical check-ups. It was seen a better option and allowed for control of a problem instead of ignoring it. You simply couldn't find a prostitute on the streets of Iuthia, they worked in clearly marked and advertised brothels.

While the diplomats of the NDA sorted themselves our and contacted their higher-ups, the city was available for their personal interests.


((Just filling the spaces inbetween events... don't mind me.))

OOC: I've been told to bang something out, so here goes with the typing mallet. Bang bang bang. I apologise in advance for the lack of inspiration.

"For myself," ralVhari interjected, "I have no objections. As I said the last time we met, Iuthia's membership in UnAPS was the only grounds for concern I could raise, and with that recently solved, I can see no reason to bar them entry into the Alliance."

Grant heaves his considerable belly in a tremendous sigh. "It seems our objections are being systematically wiped out. Well then, I know we've all had a chance to look around, and our people tell us that what they see here in the city and elsewhere appear to conform to what we've been told to expect. A surprisingly honest and straightforward government.

"If no one has anything else to add, there's just one more thing to discuss before we return to our meeting with the Lord General. Who among us wishes to sponsor Iuthia for membership?"

“The Dominion has no qualms about sponsoring the nation of Iuthia for membership,” Evangelista says in a clear, yet soft voice. “We believe, upon review of the evidence, their move to withdraw from the UnAPS alliance, their convictions and dedications to their own code of ethics, and their record of diplomatic efforts are more than enough ‘proof’ that they will be both an easy fit, and an asset to the NDA. I agree with your assessment, Ambassador Grant. Surprisingly honest and straightforward indeed. I also find it … refreshing.”

She smiles pleasantly, then takes up a glass of water and sips it quietly, her eyes on the Treznor representative.

Having left the group to go about their checking for several days, it soon came about to the date when the delegation would return to the Lord General's mansion to conclude affairs in Iuthia.

So far there had been little indication to James deGritz as to what to expect, he was content to leave the group to do their investigations as they saw fit, only denying them access to the blatantly out of bounds areas... they were given far more access to the city then most diplomats were, Iuthia was quite restrictive with it's diplomatic immunity laws and embassy exchanges.

Now each of the delegate were called to the Mansion (after more subtle communication confirmed they were not really in the process of doing anything else) to attend another conference to hopefully resolve any last queries and perhaps conclude business.

The expectations were that the group had concluded it's reseach and would return to their nations with the information they gathered to consort with allies and talk to their superiours...


((Sorry if it's a little hammered out, I've been feeling the writters block more then usual... as usual I'm prepared to be patient about this, I have others things I can keep up with and I know Nathi and Treznor have other more urgent threads to keep up with. So please, at your own leisure.))

Ambassador the Honourable James Grant waits until everyone is seated and waiting expectantly. When he judges the moment right (perhaps a second or two too long) he heaves his growing bulk to a standing position and faces Lord General deGritz solemnly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate your patience with us as we've conducted our interviews and made our observations. We find that curiously, you and your people are what you claim to be. Your record on the international front is impressive, and your nation appears to meet all criteria set forward within the mandate of our alliance. We therefore have no objection to your application, and will report our results to our superiors.

"Now then," he continues after a brief and unnecessary pause. "It is necessary for you to obtain sponsorship before you can be considered for membership. To that end, I will surrender the podium to my colleague of the Dominion."

He bows shortly to Evangelista and seats himself, looking pleased.

Catherine and Charles glance at each other, followed by the barest hint of shrugs exchanged.

Evangelista rose from her seat with a pleasant smile, nodding politely to Ambassador Grant with a murmured thanks.

"It is my pleasure to offer the Dominion as a proud sponsor for Iuthia's application to join the NDA. The caution with which our esteemed allies have approached this exploratory visit has only served to illuminate the excellent qualifications for membership Iuthia has displayed," she says with another smile just for Grant. "And we deeply appreciate the courtesy and hospitality you have shown us all during our stay here - not to mention, your patience. I look forward to relaying our findings to my superiors, and hopefully returning within the week with positive results. Thank you again Lord General deGritz. It has been a pleasure."

-----------------------------------
A week later ... yay fluid time. Pardon tweaking slightly with things.


Evangelista smiled warmly at deGritz as she entered the room. "Thank you for seeing me, Lord General. The council has finished its deliberations after going over the information gathered by our teams, and listening to the various opinions offered by the representatives themselves, and they have come to a decision."

She pauses, then extends her hand to the man, her smile broadening. "It is an honor to welcome you, and the nation of Iuthia into the Non-Democratic Allliance, Lord General deGritz. I have here a dossier with all the information you will need on contacts and such, along with the paperwork needed to initiate the construction of your embassy on Unity Island, should you choose to avail yourself of that opportunity - which I would encourage. The Dominion, as your sponsor, will be more than happy to assist with whatever information you need in addition, and in helping you establish ties and make introductions. I believe this will be an excellent match, both for yourself, and the alliance. We're proud to have you, sir."

With a warm smile, James accepted Evangelista's hand and shook it firmly.

"And I am proud, as leader of the Benevolent Dictatorship of Iuthia to be accepted into this noble alliance. You have my thanks for your confidence in our nation, I will not let you down." James sighed pleasantly before moving on to business. Accepting the dossier, still smiling.

"I'll concider Ambassador Harmone for the position of Ambassador to the the Non-democratic alliance, I'll make sure to pass this on to her once I'm done reading it. I'm sure the Diplomatic Corps will be in touch with your government to organise the specifics, but for the moment I think I can honestly say that I'm happy we've been accepted. Leaving UnAPS didn't make Iuthia any less secure, but it was a comfort to be part of an organised alliance.

"Nevermind all that though, thanks again. I'm sure the Dreadlady will understand my words when I say that like our gift to her at the coronation, our friendship will endure and we will be prepared to do our best and stand by our allies in darker times."

"Thanks for informing me of the NDA's decision, you're welcome to stay in Iuthia for a while and enjoy your stay, though we'll understand if you have to return to the dominion."