NationStates Jolt Archive

<OOC>
This thread is assumed to take place a few days after the events in "A Bloody Morning in Branwyn"- one of the Operation Hellfire threads. This is a closed diplomatic thread between the Dominion and Sarzonia.
</OOC>

"All right, Marshall, what do you have for me?" The Warlord leaned back at his desk and sipped his coffee as he waited for Fleet Marshall King's reply. The display screen on the wall opposite the desk showed the Marshall's image with a striking degree of clarity.

Marika King had never been particularly attractive, and the strain of serving as head of the EOE Department of Aggression over the last six years had further eroded what beauty she may have once had. Streaks of dull grey showed in the hair above her ears, and there were lines on her face that had not been present when she'd accepted the job. A weariness that sleep could not wholly erase was visible in her eyes, but her back was still straight, and her voice crisp and professional.

"Sir, the following Naval units are available for deployment to our UWP allies." Her hands moved just below the pick-up range of the display unit, and a sidebar appeared next to her image with a list of ships and units. Several units were suddenly highlighted in green. "I've already ordered the 3rd Fleet to set sail for Sarzonian waters, and I've sent the 96th Maritime Support Group and two Interdiction Squadrons- the 4th and the 21st- with them."

The Warlord checked the list against a smaller display on his desk, then nodded. "What about air units?" he asked. "Other than the detachments aboard Stalingrad, Waterloo, and Tsushima?"

A new sidebar covered the Navy list as the Marshall answered. "We can stage the 9th Air Force out to Isla de la Veracruz and Old Tersanctus for possible later deployment to Sarzonia. The 154th and 91st Air Superiority Wings are already there, of course, as well as the 20th Bomber Group. They're due to rotate home in a few weeks, but we can move 'em on to Sarzonia when their relief arrives instead."

Setting aside the dregs of the coffee, the Warlord smiled. "Excellent work, Marshall. I want you to put the entire 14th Air-Defense Brigade on alert for possible deployment as well."

The Marshall was surprised, but concealed it well. "Yes, sir. They'll probably be ready in three days. I'll put the 207th Air Support Wing on call for them."

"Marshall, it is days like this which make me glad I promoted you against your will. Tell Admiral Nagura not to spare the horses getting to Sarzonia. I'll let you know when we get permission from Sarzonia to send in the rest."

"Yes, sir."

The Warlord blanked the screen, then opened another circuit. The suited man who appeared in the display screen was a stark contrast to the Marshall's haggard features. His suit was clean and freshly-pressed, his features were calm and unmarked by weariness or stress, and his voice was soothing and placid. "Yes, sir. How may I be of service?"

"I have a message for the Sarzonian Foreign Ministry ..."


To: President Mike Sarzo

From: Eternal Arch-Villain Psychopompos, Minister for Pre-Subjugation External Affairs

Subject: Defense of Sarzonia

Per our UWP commitments, EOE Task Force Carousel- under Admiral Ishushiro Nagura- is enroute to Sarzonian waters. He will contact your government to coordinate the Fleet deployment on arrival in approximately 6 days. The Dominion is also willing to send aircraft and air-defense units to Sarzonia for the duration of the emergency, subject to your government's approval. If this is acceptable to your government, Admiral Nagura will relay basing requirements on receipt of permission to deploy.

Please advise Admiral Nagura if any further EOE military assets are required. His Omniferocity will almost certainly authorize any reasonable request.


Eternal Arch-Villain Psychopompos
Minister for Pre-Subjugation External Affairs.

[OOC: Warning! Monster post ahead.]

The mood throughout Sarzonia was almost indescribable. While military analysts correctly described the war between Sarzonia and Pantera as a draw, the nation was abuzz with excitement. Victory parades and chants celebrating the heroes of the Sarzonian army who stood toe to toe with the Reavers and didn't flinch seemed to fill the air in city after city. Nearly overnight, a profound sense of national pride swept through Sarzonia like the latest flu epidemic.

Against this backdrop, Sarzo looked out the window, overlooking the square where antiwar protestors stood only months earlier decrying Sarzonia's involvement in Inkana. Inkana. That name alone would reverbrate in the Sarzonian military consciousness the same way Vietnam set off a cacophony of debate and soul-searching in the United States for several years after their final withdrawal. Instead of that sometimes violent expression of dissent against government involvement, the square was the scene of celebration. The same people who were burned in effigy just months earlier were now praised as heroes.

"How swift the tides of fortune ebb and flow," Sarzo muttered to himself. He picked up his notes for the Cabinet meeting and took a last sip of Pacitalian coffee before making the walk down the hall to the situation room.

Despite the celebrations of Sarzonia's "victory" in Branwyn against Pantera, the revelry had a hollow, almost empty air to it. The enthusiasm of Sarzonia's populace at securing favourable terms in spite of a surprisingly short period of hostilities was tempered greatly by a sense among ardent Praetophiles that Sarzonia was abandoning its honour-bound obligations to her Praetonian brothers and sisters by agreeing to pull military forces out of Gholgoth. However, anyone who read the Woodstock Daily Mail War supplement would have seen the full story: The Sandstone Accords allowed Sarzonia to take up defending its allies against a possible Gholgoth Powers attack. The House of Delegates ratified the treaty with the proviso that the Wartime Powers Act would be suspended and the Constitution restored. To secure that agreement, the House had to agree to lower the Defence Condition from Level One to Level Two. That would allow the Navy to continue to refit warships for active service defending Sarzonia whilst the regular units set sail for Havenic waters.

Sarzo walked into the situation room and saw the mood was brighter there than it had been in months. He looked into the faces of several of his cabinet vice presidents and, while they weren't slapping hands, he noticed a subtle air of self-congratulation in the air. He cleared his throat sombrely in an effort to regain focus among the men and women assembled there. He looked at Lieutenant President Nicole Lewis with a small grimace before he finally decided to begin speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Sarzo began. "I'd like to ask all of you to look at the budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year, which Clay is passing around." He looked at the young intern with a subtle smile as he briskly passed around the binders to each cabinet member.

"Before we get into the budget proposals," Vice President for Business and Commerce Janis Hedge said. "What do we make of this offer from this Psychopompos?"

"What the bloody hell have you gotten us into, Mike," Vice President for Defence John Newman asked. "Eternal Arch-Villain Psychopompos? Minister for Pre-Subjugation External Affairs? The Evil Overlord? Are you trying to get us annexed?"

"What I don't get is this," Vice President for Naval Operations Kathy Bunhall piped in. "They're sending major naval assets and aerial units to our shores and our skies. They haven't made mention of sending ground units to our homeland. Guess they have more confidence in our army than we thought."

"And why would they not," Army Chief Antonius Santius said. "You saw what the Reavers had to face."

"What I would expect any army to do when they're defending their homes and their families," Air Force Chief Bill Lighton countered. "If we tried to land in Gholgoth, there's no guarantee we would have been able to have had that kind of success."

"Bill, are you myopic," Newman countered, clearly annoyed that the two branch chiefs who weren't part of the cabinet were this pushy. "The Reavers couldn't land appreciable forces in Daltrey when they were up against an unprepared ground defence that included Branwynian militia. What makes you think either of the main Gholgoth Powers can have any better success when they're facing well-trained regulars?"

"With all due respect John," Bill said, his face turning a bright shade of red and a vein on his forehead protruding ever so slightly, "I'm not myopic. I'm a fucking realist."

"All right, enough of that," Sarzo said, raising his right hand and extending it in front of him to quell the argument. As things got more heated, his face turned into a decided scowl and he grabbed the first object he could find -- one of the budget binders -- and slammed it against the table.

"Shut up," Sarzo bellowed. "I will not have any further insults in this situation room! I want both of you to knock it off NOW!"

Both men looked at Sarzo with scowls, but their glances quickly averted when they saw Sarzo's face turn red and his eyes piercing through their souls like a Doomie bayonet through a Sarzonian infantryman.

"As we were saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Sarzo said, pausing to give another scowl to Newman, the kind a teacher would give a student in lieu of the words see me after class, "I recommend we accept the offer of aid from The Evil Overlord. They have supported our endeavours in the past diplomatically and I for one do not want to be in a position where we refuse help from someone when we could use all the deterrant we can get."

"I don't know, Mike. I have serious misgivings about aligning with a country called The Evil Overlord and run by people like an Eternal Arch Villain who happens to be a minister for pre-subjugation foreign affairs," Lewis said. "That shit just screams annexation."

"Well, we'll have to play our hand a bit differently if and when those cards get dealt," Sarzo said. "For right now, I'm going to exercise my prerogative as Commander in Chief of all armed forces and accept The Evil Overlord's offer. At the very least, that's going to give us an opening to send more forces to Haven and show Praetonia and Hogsweat we're serious about keeping up with our committment to defend their territory. Meeting dismissed."

Sarzo walked over to his computer terminal and typed out a response to Psychopompos.

To: Eternal Arch-Villain Psychopompos, Minister for Pre-Subjugation External Affairs
From: Mike Sarzo, President, Incorporated States of Sarzonia
Subject: Defence of Sarzonia

I thank you and your nation for your generous offer of defence in these uncertain times when the dogs of war continue their incessant howling. On behalf of the Incorporated Sarzonian Military, I am pleased to accept the offer of support and I hope this is a signal of closer relations between our countries.

I can place you in contact with Admiral of the Navy Stephen Marcus, the military commandant of Sarzonian defensive assets here, regarding any of our bases or any coordination you or Admiral Nagura feel are necessary to ensure that our cooperation is seamless.

Sarzo clicked send and knew the dawn of a new phase in Sarzonian history was closing in.

Admiral Nagura was mightily wroth over the political constraints which had stripped the 1st and 6th Strike Groups from Task Force Carousel, but no trace of it showed on his face. He understood why those units had been sent elsewhere,but he didn't have to like it. "If I were the Sarzonians, I wouldn't be happy about the presence of 3 divisions of amphibious assault troops lurking around in my home waters either." he reminded himself. The thought didn't help much.

Physically, Admiral Isushiro Nagura was uninspiring. He stood a mere 1.5 meters tall, and weighed only 75 kilos. His face wore a perpetual look of mild disinterest, no matter the circumstances- which Navy rumor attributed to electronic circuits and artificial skin. He spoke as little as possible, and never raised his voice. His entire body radiated a seemingly-inhuman aura of detachment and cool calculation, which both infuriated and inspired his subordinates as well as impressing his superiors. Nagura could easily have been mistaken for a low-level clerk or similar office flunky, except for the always-immaculate uniform he wore. In the Navy, there were rumors to the effect that Nagura had been created in a laboratory, and his uniform was actually extruded from his body and periodically shed. His grooming was always precise and immaculate, and he shaved his entire head every day- often more than once. This attention to the most picayune details of his personal appearance often led the uninitiated to believe Nagura was a shallow martinet. No one who served under the Admiral for any significant amount of time shared this opinion, and the sole decoration on his uniform was the Wounded Lion- the Dominion’s highest military honor. Nagura had many other decorations, of course, but he never wore the rest unless regulations required it- and he went to extraordinary lengths to avoid situations which required Formal Dress.

Nagura finished keying orders into the SSIN and turned to survey Coldstream’s Flag Plot. The enlisted personnel manning the consoles were used to his presence and essentially ignored him. Ensign Ryder, the Plot Officer on watch, was a different story. He stood rigidly at attention to the left of the doorway, watching the Admiral out of the corner of his eye. The young man nearly jumped when the technician at the SSIN console called out, “Sir, we have traffic from Kaligrad for the Admiral.”

Ryder struggled visibly to control himself enough to do his job in Nagura’s presence and- predictably- failed miserably. “Uh … ah …. Roger that … uh …”

Nagura sighed mentally and waited. Senior Chief Marisela Ruiz shook her head and dealt with the problem by taking control. “Kaligrad traffic, aye. Log it and post an alert for the Admiral.”

“Log traffic and post an alert, aye.” The technician keyed in the commands as the Chief of the Watch stepped closer to the Admiral.

“Admiral, you have traffic from Kaligrad at the SSIN console.”

Nagura nodded to the woman. “Please put it on the screen, Senior Chief.” he said politely. “Ask Captain Aguinaldo to join me here, at her convenience.”

“Very well, Admiral.” As she returned to her console, she gestured harshly at the titular Watch Officer to join her.

Nagura politely ignored the byplay and turned to face the screen as the message appeared, overlaying the digital plot display. Ignoring everything but the text of the message, he read it carefully twice before nodding slightly. The message vanished as the Senior Chief noted the gesture and interpreted it correctly.

A sudden change in air pressure warned Nagura of the arrival of Coldstream’s Commanding Officer, Captain Juanita Aguinaldo. The Admiral turned to face her and gestured slightly for her to join him at the Plot Table. The Captain spared a moment to glare venomously at Ryder before crossing the compartment to the Admiral’s side.

“What can I do for you, Admiral?” she asked in a carefully neutral tone.

“We are going to reorganize the Task Force as soon as Agamemnon and her escorts catch up.” Nagura turned his head slightly to meet the Captain’s gaze.

She nodded. “That should be day after tomorrow, with their closing speed. What did you have in mind?”

“Two battlegroups with three carriers each, to begin with. Spin off the Interdiction Squadrons into two Interdiction Groups, so.” As he spoke, Nagura made changes to the Task Force Carousel Order Of Battle on the display.

Captain Aguinaldo’s eyes narrowed as she concentrated on the changes. “That will give us an entire squadron of additional escorts.” She tapped a forefinger on the display over a list of cruisers, destroyers, and corvettes. “You have something in mind for them?”

At the Admiral’s nod, Aguinaldo scratched her chin for a moment and nodded. “With your permission, Admiral?”

Nagura nodded. The Captain brought up satellite imagery of the waters around Sarzonia and grinned. “I think I see what you’re getting at, Sir.” She keyed in a command, and the revised Carousel organization appeared on the map display. A few minutes later, she had moved the Task Force units into patrol patterns near Sarzonia.

Nagura shook his head. “Not quite, Captain.” He spent several seconds making minor changes to the display as Aguinaldo watched- at first skeptically, then with open acceptance.

“That will make Carousel’s job a lot easier.” she said at last. “Give us more flexibility in the event of an attack, as well. I like it.”

The Admiral nodded and keyed a circuit open. “Senior Chief, please relay Plot Table display via SSIN to the Task Force commanders and Kaligrad.”

“Relay Table display, aye.” As the Senior Chief keyed in the commands, Captain Aguinaldo risked another glare at Ensign Ryder. Ryder didn’t notice, as he was leaning over the Senior Chief’s console with his back to the two senior officers at the Plot Table.

Turning back to the Admiral, Aguinaldo was surprised to see him watching her. “That will be all, Captain.” was all Nagura said.

Nodding quickly to cover up her confusion. “Thank you, Admiral.” She stalked toward the door, passing Ryder and Senior Chief Ruiz at the latter’s console as Ryder gave the older woman a suggestion on how to speed up the relay. Senior Chief Ruiz, a past master of the SSIN system nodded soberly.

“Good idea, sir. Thanks for the help.”

Captain Aguinaldo decided to forego her original plan of relieving Ensign Ryder of his duties and giving him a poor performance review. Senior Chief Ruiz would do far better job of getting the young man in battery without causing any extra problems for the junior officer’s mental state.

After the Captain had departed, Admiral Nagura returned to the Plot Table. “Officer of the Watch.” he called quietly.

Ryder straightened so quickly, he nearly fell over. “Yes, Admiral?” he said with a slight quaver in his voice.

“Please contact Admiral Marcus, of the Sarzonian Navy, by the UWP link. Convey my respects on behalf of the Dominion and relay my proposed dispositions and Task Force unit list. Advise him of our ETA and that I have the authority to request land-based aircraft and ground air-defense units if he deems it necessary.”

Ryder was so engrossed in getting the orders relayed properly that he completely forgot to be scared of making a mistake in front of the Admiral. After making sure Senior Chief Ruiz had the situation well in hand, he turned to the Admiral. “Admiral, proposed text is on your display for approval.”

Nagura waved a hand dismissively. “At your discretion, Ensign. I will be on the Bridge.”

“Thank you, sir.” Ryder managed to reply as the Admiral walked out of Plot. He turned to see that the message had been transmitted, then visibly relaxed. Senior Chief Ruiz stifled a grin as she checked the younger man out of the corner of her eye. His record showed he had been a hard-charging enlisted man before getting commissioned, but she’d been worried about his little freeze-up in front of the Admiral. “He’ll prolly be all right” she thought. “So long as he has a good Chief around to make sure he’s too busy to get scared.”


UWP COMMAND
ENCRYPTION OMICRON 0110051640ZULU
TFCAROUSELSENDS
MSGTXT

To: Admiral of the Navy Stephen Marcus
Incorporated Sarzonian Navy

From: Admiral Isushiro Nagura
EOE Task Force Carousel

Subj: Carousel deployment

Sir,

For your review, I have developed the following TF Carousel deployment schedule (TAB1 for details), and appended the Carousel unit list (TAB2 for details). Land-based aircraft (TAB3 for details) are available for immediate deployment to Sarzonian bases, and an Army Air-Defense Brigade (TAB4 for details) is also available if your government deems it necessary.

TF Carousel will arrive in Sarzonian waters NLT 1300Local/041005. Naval aircraft will begin deterrent patrols at your discretion anytime thereafter. UNODIR, Carousel deployment will also begin immediately. Please advise if there are any specific requirements which I have not foreseen.

ADM Nagura

ENDMSG
TFCAROUSELSENDS

"Admiral Marcus," the young commander said as he walked toward the stateroom at the old Navy Command Centre in Nicksia, Sarzonia's largest city. The Sarzonian admiral was looking out at the harbour gazing out at the scenery in front of him. The majestic USS Constitution, among the spiritual forefathers of the Navy that employed him provided a stirring backdrop for the Sarzonian admiral.

Even though his onetime "rival," Admiral of the Navy Marcus Patinkin had come out of retirement and, at least in the minds of some Navy wags, stole the thunder from Marcus's opportunity to carve out his own famous legacy in a Navy that had plenty of heroes, Marcus was content. After all, Patinkin was in Praeton with brevetted Lieutenant General Mike Quinn giving the what for to Praetonian and Hogsweatian militaries that seemed content to sit outside of Automagfreek's waters and do nothing. With hostilities drawing to a close against Pantera, Marcus knew his call to action resulted in no major threat to the Sarzonian coastlines.

He and the Navy had weathered the storm from a far larger enemy than any they'd faced before and he and the Navy had acquitted themselves well as usual. The usual toasts to the Navy that happened in any Sarzonian military victory were joined this time by toasts to an Army that finally accquitted itself well. The Panterans didn't, no they couldn't strike the death blow against the Sarzonian and Branwynian resistance because the Sarzonians sidestepped and parried. And, most importantly, they fired their own shots at the Panterans and staggered them.

Marcus was lost in a reverie watching the Constitution make its annual voyage under sail. No matter how long he wore the Sarzonian naval uniform, that sight always stirred his soul. However, that reverie came to an abrupt halt when the commander's voice intruded into his thoughts.

"Yes, Mr. Scott?"

"I have an incoming message from Admiral Isushiro Nagura of The Evil Overlord's Task Force Carousel. The President has authorised them to begin patrolling Sarzonian home waters."

"Indeed?"

Marcus looked at the printed version Nagura's transmission with a growing frown. He shook his head repeatedly and raised his eyebrow at Commander Luke Scott.

"Sir, I believe the word from Navy Command is that the presence of EOE forces should serve as a deterrant in the event the Gholgoth powers want to try their luck in our home waters and our shores," Scott said.

"I'm well aware of the Navy's thinking Commander," Marcus said. "That doesn't mean I have to like the idea of such a massive collection of EOE forces in our backyard."

"Sir, they're our allies from the Union of World Powers."

"I'm also aware of that Commander," Marcus frowned. The Union of World Powers was quickly becoming a sore spot in the minds of many Sarzonians with the declarations of neutrality on the part of Euroslavia and Pacitalia resulting in criticism of Sarzonia's war against Pantera. Even though Sarzonia fought a defensive action. Even though Sarzonia wasn't the country that began the hostilities.

The myopic statements of Lady Destra and her minions were angering more than just the Sarzonian politicos. A demonstration was scheduled in the city centre in Nicksia where thousands were expected to protest in front of the Euroslavian consulate even though it had been emptied. Riot police were already mobilising in force and the City Council was finalising arrangements with the protest organisers in an effort to ensure that things didn't get too violent. However, Marcus was worried that the military presence by The Evil Overlord was going to incite much more than anti-Euroslav sentiment.

Nationalism is an unpredictable thing, Marcus thought. He realised he ought to contact Admiral Nogura.

To: Admiral Isushiro Nagura
EOE Task Force Carousel
From: Admiral of the Navy Stephen Marcus
Incorporated Sarzonian Navy
Subject: Carousel deployment

We acknowledge receipt of your transmission and we are in the process of finalising arrangements. All should be in order upon your reaching the arranged patrol vectors. We would appreciate your beginning standard patrols as of 1600 hours Sarzonian Standard Time, allowing us to make the necessary adjustments. Thank you for your cooperation.
Marcus raised his eyebrow once more when he saw Major General Jacques Landeau storm into his office.

"Sir!"

"Jacques, you should knock before you storm into my office."

"You're letting those imperialist bastards traipse into Sarzonian territory unchecked? Have you gone mad?"

"I suppose you should forward those questions to the President. I'm following his orders."

"Need I remind you sir, Landeau hissed, "that many people used 'I'm following orders' as an excuse to defend themselves when they should have taken some fucking responsibility?"

"Jacques," Marcus said in a calm tone intended to set himself apart from the ranting Landeau. "This is not Lynndie England in Abu Ghraib. This isn't the SS being told to exterminate 6 million Jews. This is about Sarzonia accepting help from one of its most powerful allies to face down a threat by three Gholgoth Powers. This is about Sarzonia being able to defend its own allies and possibly allow us to take the initiative in the Gholgoth Wars. This is about the big picture."

"I'm not interested in your big picture Marcus," Landeau snapped. "You're letting a country called The Evil Overlord send its military units into Sarzonian sovereign waters with impunity. Since you're the Commander in Chief of all Sarzonian defensive assets, I'm letting you know that I object to this blatant threat to national sovereignty."

"Your objection will be noted in my log General. Thank you," Marcus said. He turned back to the window with an old, weather-worn book, gingerly opening the pages of the leather-bound volume and pulling out a pen. He looked out the window and saw the reflection on the door, then turned back slowly.

"General, you're dismissed," he said, giving an even glance to Landeau, which the army officer returned with a piercing glare that would have bothered any lesser officer. However, Marcus looked genuinely bored by Landeau's stunt, simply looking at him with a disapproving glance. Finally, Landeau got the non-verbal message, saluted, turned around and left.

Marcus sighed and shook his head. Army reforms, huh?

The first ships to enter Sarzonian waters were the reorganized escorts Admiral Nagura had christened Patrol Group 36. A small screen of corvettes and destroyers preceded the larger main body, centered on the sleek battleships Bucellari and Praetorian. Another screen of cruisers and destroyers followed. On approaching the Sarzonian squadron sent to meet them, Captain Halrood ordered the Group to render honors.

The venerable destroyer Mikalgard, on her last deployment before her date with the breaker's yard in six months, led the way. The Sun and Cogwheel banner at the prow was run down and back up, and the non-duty crew manned the rails and saluted the Sarzonian flag as they sailed past at a stately 20 knots. The rest of the ships followed suit, passing nearly in review with well-drilled precision before re-assembling into the previous patrol formation. Captain Halrood wasn't exactly happy with his Group's assigned duties, but Admiral Nagura's orders had been precise and explicit.

Patrol Group 36 will remain a minimum of 150 kilometers from the Sarzonian mainland at all times. You will patrol the seas outside Sarzonian waters vigorously, and all contacts must be reported to Flag Plot immediately. Weapons tight unless fire upon.

Halrood shook his head ruefully. He'd originally been pleased to discover he would command the Patrol Group. Now that he realized his unit was mainly a tripwire (albeit a large and very powerful tripwire), he was far less enthusiastic. Cursing silently to himself, he ordered the ship of his Patrol Group to their stations outside Sarzonian waters and took one last look at the Sarzonian ships in his wake.

"Would have been nice to work with the Sarzonians." he thought to himself. "Their Navy is supposed to be pretty professional." Shaking his head, Halrood returned to CIC. "Maybe I'll get lucky and find someone who wants to risk taking a potshot at the Group."

Admiral Nagura was also less than happy with his dual roles as Task Force Commander and diplomatic point-of-contact. "I hate politics." he groused to himself. "Why didn't the Warlord send some of those pansies from Foreign Affairs along?"

Shaking his head, Nagura re-read Admiral Marcus' message and smiled inwardly. He turned to Captain Aguinaldo and repeated aloud what he'd been thinking. "I believe I will enjoy working with this Admiral Marcus."

The Captain raised an eyebrow. "You know something I don't Admiral? Didn't think you'd ever met the man."

"No, but he has an excellent reputation." Nagura cleared the display and nodded toward the still-distant Sarzonian escort vessels patrol Group 36 had reported. "I can also read between the lines of even so bare a message as his. Order Carousel to slow to one-half, and bring the Support Group along to the southeast. We'll give the man time to get his house in order."


From: TFCAROUSEL

To: NAVHQKALIGRAD

Subj: Diplomacy.

Request Foreign Office personnel be dispatched to Carousel soonest for liaison with Sarzonian government due to local political situation.

ADM Nagura
TFCAROUSELSENDS

Halfway around the world, Fleet Marshall King read the message and smiled. She nodded to the man across the desk. "That's what I suggested 3 days ago, sir."

The Warlord sighed. "So you did, Marshall. It's still a stupid idea. Admiral Nagura can restrict all of his contacts to Sarzonian military personnel on the secure UWP links we set up for just that purpose. What I will do is get someone from Foreign Affairs out to Sarzonia tomorrow. Maybe this will convince Sarzonia to finally send an Ambassador and staff to Amida Island."

Marshall King shook her head. "I think you're making a mistake, sir, but you're the boss."

“All right Mike, I need you to level with me.”

Lewis stood with her arms folded from behind her desk in the Lieutenant President’s office in her official residence in Saugerties. The Woodstock suburb also held the Presidential cabin, recently named Camp Sarius in honour of Praetonian Imperator Sarius Publius I. Right now, it held a Lieutenant President who barely contained her anger.

“Why the Hell are you agreeing to let The Evil Overlord send a shitload of forces to our waters?”

“Nicole, they’re not patrolling in our sovereign waters. They’re 150 kilometres from the mainland. They’re going to work with us, not against us. I wouldn’t risk my country’s sovereignty foolishly.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing, Mike,” she asked. “You’re letting a country that openly flouts a Minister for Pre-Subjugation External Affairs and it’s run by an Eternal Arch-Villain. The country itself is run by a man who is referred to as His Omniferocity. And you’re giving them free pass to simply traipse right up our crack?”

“Nicole, you’ve seen the intel as much as I have,” Sarzo said as a tinge of irritation began to invade his voice. “The satellite images don’t lie. Pantera was preparing to send literally dozens of fleets to mount an invasion. Automagfreek was mobilising two fucking theatres of Sentinels for an invasion. According to our moles in the Intelligence Department, they were mobilising to come after us. According to the Intel people, they altered their plans after The Evil Overlord began their patrols off our mainland.”

Sarzo knew his statement was overstated, but he was aware that Lord Damien had Sarzonia squarely in its sights after it sent three fleets to Gholgoth. He was also aware that Pantera wasn’t going to stay patient whilst a collection of militia and a Sarzonian army that was known for being an international embarrassment Stonewalled the storied Reavers. He also knew that Panteran spy satellites likely were providing images of Operation Hangman at work with the Sarzonian army under General Ryan Kennedy. Sarzo knew that if that strategy worked the way it was expected to, Pantera would have had to deal with the embarrassment of losing a major battle to the Sarzonian army.

Lewis’s forbidding, implacable affect turned uncertain for a moment, and Sarzo realised she was processing information that clearly sounded like it was exaggerated but processed the reality that the hyperbole foretold. On one level, Sarzo was right. The Evil Overlord may not have had the same cachet as any of the Gholgoth Powers, but having that country and its world class military backing up Sarzonia made a statement.

“I don’t have to like this, Mike,” Lewis said finally. “But I guess you have a point there.”

“I need to call Lorb,” Sarzo said. He picked up Lewis’s phone and called Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer Mark Lorber’s office.

“Lorber.”

“Lorb, Mike,” Sarzo said. “Does Pete Murphy have any pressing assignments at the moment?”

“Getting here,” Lorber said with a tinge in his voice that caused Sarzo to chuckle. “Um, he should be finishing up the report on the Generian situation.”

“Oh, that,” Sarzo said. In the midst of this war, the turmoil in Generic Empire was relegated to the middle of the A section instead of its usual place on A1.

“It’s not so pressing that he can’t be reassigned.”

“Give Pete a call and tell him he may want to bring his suitcase with him.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m thinking of having him take a trip to Amida Island. He’s got some quarters over there that need to have some warm body sleeping in them.”

“Gotcha.”

Murphy walked into his office and found a note on the desk from Deputy Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer Grant Haffner saying that he was about to be named the ambassador to The Evil Overlord. He would be instructed to travel to Nicksia to Admiral Marcus’s office in Nicksia to meet with Admiral Nagura to make the initial arrangements.

“Shit. Two fucking hours to get to work and I’ve got to leave now?” He was dreading the trip to Cobra Three, the helicopter designated for External Affairs use within Sarzonia, not to mention the four hours it would take to fly to Nicksia in that “old bucket of bolts,” ironically dubbed because the helicopter was only four years old. But he hated helicopter rides and Cobra Three was no exception.

His long day was only just beginning.

The young man was nervous as he entered the Warlord's office, although he made a good try at concealing it. Good things rarely happened to Foreign Office personnel who received a summons from the Warlord, and Conrad M'Gawe had spent the trip wracking his brain in a vain attempt to discover what he had done wrong.

As the elevator doors opened, Conrad stepped forward slowly, concentrating on keeping his face neutral and his legs moving. The Warlord had his back to the elevator, and was dictating orders into a headset, but waved a hand at a seat to the left of the large desk console as he spoke. Conrad was relieved and curious at the same time. "Maybe I'm not getting fired after all." he mused. "What the hell is going on?"

As Conrad slid into the leather chair, the Warlord finished his conversation and turned to face the younger man. His eyes quickly searched Conrad's features, then glanced at his hands. After finishing the silent inspection, the Warlord spoke.

"Nervous?"

Despite his best efforts, Conrad's voice squeaked a bit as he replied. "Yes, sir."

The Warlord smiled slightly. "Good. I have a reputation to maintain." His hands moved and a display unit on the desk console lit, although it was angled so Conrad could not see anything. "I understand you came to Foreign Affairs from Economic Penetration."

"Yes, sir. I spent three years on the Commodities desk." Conrad was recovering his composure quickly, and his tone was firm and professional.

Still glancing at the screen, the Warlord remarked, "You also seem to have developed a knack for statesmanship." The screen was cleared with a gesture and went dead. The Warlord turned to face the younger man, who was uneasily reminded of a gun being trained on a target. "Aren't you the author of an article on the Econ. bulletin board entitled, Economic Force as a Politico-Military Force Multiplier?"

Conrad winced internally, but kept his expression neutral. "I knew that damned thing would come back to bite me in the ass one day." he grumped silently. "Nothing for it but to take my lumps, I guess."

Aloud, he said, "Yes, sir. I published that article 3 months ago."

Eyes fixed on the younger man's, the Warlord asked, "Do you still stand by your conclusions?"

Swallowing nervously, Conrad bit the bullet. "Yes, sir. I stand by my conclusions."

"Good. I like it when people disagree with me. 'Yes-men' don't last long around here, but I gather you're aware of that?"

Surprised, Conrad blurted, "Ah .. no, sir. I didn't know that."

Arching an eyebrow, the Warlord eyed Conrad for a moment before continuing. "On to business. I have a job in mind for you, if you're interested."

Relieved but wary, Conrad asked, "What sort of job, sir?"

"I need an Ambassador to send to Sarzonia."

Conrad was stunned, and didn't care if it showed on his face. "Sir? Uh ... I'm only an FO-5, and I've spent the last 8 months in the Information Bureau."

The Warlord waved a hand dismissively. "But you also spent 6 years on active duty with the Army, and were offered a slot at the Ahriman Academy before you let your enlistment lapse. And most of the Foreign Office folks who are actually up for promotion are time-serving 'Yes-men'. Do you want the job or not?"

Swallowing hard, Conrad nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll take it."

A printer began whirring on the desk, and the Warlord handed Conrad the resulting hard copy. "Here are your orders. Electronic version is already on SSIN. The orders list will be posted in the morning, but you won't be here. You'll fly out tonight, itinerary is on page 3."

Still overwhelmed by how fast things were moving, Conrad managed to ask, "Sir? What about staff?"

"I have a team waiting for you at the airfield. If there's someone else you want in addition, SSIN it to me before you leave. I'll get them on a regular flight tomorrow."

Conrad sat silently for several seconds as his brain tried to digest it all. "Do you have any specific requirements, sir, or should I use my best judgement?"

A stern look flashed over the Warlord's features. "You will always exercise your best judgement. There are some details in your orders you should read before you get to the airfield, but I'll give you a verbal digest.

"Sarzonia has a nasty habit of sticking their collective dicks into meat grinders while trying to poke their noses into other countries' affairs. So far, they've managed to survive the consequences. The current fiasco in Gholgoth might prove to be the one they can't.

"Accordingly, I've sent a Task Force to patrol off Sarzonia to help reduce the risk of a sudden strike by Automagfreek, Pantera, or any of their allies. The Dominion's reputation is on the line, here. If one of our allies gets overrun, we get a black eye in international affairs.

"External Security reports that the Sarzonian government is split on how to react- they're just as scared of what we might do as what their enemies might do." Both men smiled grimly. The antics of representative governments were a source of never-ending amusement to EOE citizen/shareholders, who were used to the autocratic cradle-to-grave control in the Dominion.

The Warlord went on. "The President, Mike Sarzo, is fairly rational on the subject, but some of the other members of the government are wetting themselves at the thought of getting help from an Imperialist state like the Dominion." Another grin arose. The last nation to have fallen under EOE control was accomplished at the request of the original government after a coup-d'etat. The Dominion had peacefully returned the country to the original rulers afterward. Hardly an imperialist act.

"Your primary task is to make sure this internal political wrangling doesn't threaten our ability to jump in and help if the balloon really goes up."

"What is the current threat level, sir?"

"Moderate. Pantera seems to be content with holding off for now, and Automagfreek is a little busy dealing with other problems at the moment. That said, I do not deal in an enemy's intentions, only his capabilities. Either of those two states- or any of their allies- is capable of launching a massive assault on Sarzonia on short notice. Your job is to make sure we can prevent that."

The Warlord keyed the main display unit to life, and Conrad turned to face the screen. A series of military and support units appeared. Conrad thought back to his time in the service and whistled silently. "That's a metric buttload of troops and equipment." Sobered by the realization, Conrad returned his attention to his boss.

"I want you to make it palatable for the Sarzonians to accept enough help to get the job done. I'd like to station a couple of mechanized divisions and an air force in Sarzonia. The Sarzonian Navy is a professional outfit, but their army has some serious issues- despite their recent success against Pantera."

Conrad opened his hand comp and tapped in some quick notes. "What about the economic side?"

"External Security suggests that Sarzonia is having problems with their oil economy."

Frowning, Conrad said, "We could help with that by selling them oil from the oil fields in the Redoubts, but it won't really make much of a dent in their problem."

"Quite right. You've hit on the heart of the problem. What I really had in mind is helping them develop some of the useful alternatives. Coal-oil development, for example. We could also sell them some of our fuel-efficient diesel-electric engines. Work that out with them once you're on the ground."

Sensing the interview was over, Conrad closed his computer and stood. "Very good, sir. I'll get some background material to look over on the trip."

The Warlord locked eyes with the younger man. "I'm taking a bit of a chance on you. Don't let me down."

Undaunted, Conrad met his eyes. "No promises, sir, but I'll do my best."

“Thank God that’s over.”

Pete Murphy harrumphed as he picked up his suitcase in his left hand and his briefcase in his right hand and descended from the helicopter on the campus of the Navy Command Centre. The trip that normally took four hours from Woodstock to Nicksia via helicopter took six hours, and he spent an hour packing his suitcase for a trip he didn’t find out he was going to take until the last minute. With a heavy sigh, he pushed the button to the elevator leading to the eighth floor and Admiral Marcus’s office.

He strolled into the outer waiting area and sat down, the plush leather seat providing blissful relief to a backside that was pummeled by a rough ride on the helicopter through turbulent skies as the helicopter crossed the border into Benatar. The firm but soft feel of the seat enveloped Murphy and he began to fade into a serene rest.

“Mr. Murphy?”

After what seemed like only 10 seconds, Murphy’s brief reverie had been snapped and he was brought back into reality. In truth, he had been napping for 20 minutes. A long helicopter ride had a way of draining him like few other methods of transport could. He looked up and saw Admiral Marcus standing in a crisp black dress uniform with gold buttons and epaulettes that stood out among the dark features of the uniform and Marcus’s tanned face.

Murphy scrambled up and saluted instinctively; his time as a private in the Incorporated Sarzonian Army at least taught him that much. Marcus smiled and put his hand out in a gesture that exuded calm.

“No need Pete,” he said. “Unless you’re planning to join the Navy anytime soon, you don’t have to do that. You look like you were napping a little bit.” Murphy looked down slightly sheepishly, embarrassed that he was caught napping in the Admiral’s office. In the midst of his lowering his gaze, he noticed the five that adorned the black patch above the epaulettes on each shoulder. Had he not been so embarrassed, he would have asked Marcus why he only wore five stars even though he was Sarzonia’s second Admiral of the Navy. Had he asked, he would have found out that Marcus was taking some of his cue from American General of the Armies John Pershing, who only ever wore four stars even though he was a six star general.

“Don’t worry about it,” Marcus said. “I know you had a long flight. And that storm should be here in the next half an hour. I’m surprised you’re not black and blue from that ride.

“If you’re ready, I can take you to the conference room where we’re supposed to meet Admiral Nagura. I’m also going to give you the rundown of what your job will be now that you’re going to be the Sarzonian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Evil Overlord Enterprises. But if you need a chance to recover from that trip, we can postpone all that for a couple of hours. Nagura’s not supposed to show up until 1830 hours.”

“Thanks sir. I could use the extra time.”

“Very well then. If you want, you can go to the Conference Centre across the campus and check in. You may have time to unpack and take a shower or a short nap or something.” Marcus looked at his watch. “Oh, it’s 1350 hours. You should be able to take a nap, shower and shave. It can work wonders for you. And knowing The Evil Overlord, you’re going to need all your faculties dealing with those guys.”

Grateful for the temporary reprieve, Murphy walked as briskly as his tired body could take him to the Conference Centre to check in and go to his room for a chance to recharge his batteries. Meanwhile, Marcus saw Commander Scott give him a sheet of paper.

“Five minutes ahead of schedule. Splendid work Commander,” Marcus said approvingly. The preparations Sarzonia needed to implement for the EOE ships to begin their patrols were completed before Marcus’s self-imposed deadline of 1345 hours.

Hopefully, Nagura’s going to like our efficiency, he thought.

Flight Lieutenant Pamela Ortiz, call sign Frontrunner, eased off on the throttle and the TT-11 Cossack settled gracefully onto the tarmac. Her crew chief, Tech Sergeant Wade Bongcag, watched the cargo carefully as the heavy aircraft came to rest. The cargo seemed undisturbed, which the sergeant hoped was a good sign. He keyed the intercom. "Nice and smooth, Frontrunner. His nibs didn't even notice."

Ortiz was not amused. "Dammit, Sergeant! If you ever refer to a senior officer that way again, you'll have to find yourself a new crate to fly ... as a passenger."

"Sorry, Lieutenant." Bongcag shook his head and stepped across the empty cargo deck. He switched channels on the intercom and tapped the cargo on the shoulder. "Admiral? We're on the deck."

Admiral Nagura looked up from his SSIN display and met the sergeant's eyes. "Very well, sergeant. Please tell the pilot that his nibs appreciates the lift."

He closed and pocketed his hand unit and removed the bulky flight helmet, handing it to the stunned crew chief before walking forward to the cockpit. "Nice flight, Lieutenant. Go ahead and shut down to Plus-Five, and let the Sarzonians refuel you. I'll call ahead when I'm ready to go."

Frontrunner nodded and gave Nagura a thumbs-up. Nagura turned and opened the forward personnel hatch himself, which startled the crew chief out of his befuddlement. "Moses on a donkey, sir. That's my job." Nagura waited patiently as the man efficiently and quickly lowered the access stair and stepped out onto the airfield to help the Admiral deplane.

Nagura ignored the sergeant's presence and dropped onto the tarmac. Lieutenant Careet, the co-pilot, appeared at the hatch and handed the Admiral the small bag he'd left on his seat. Inwardly wincing at forgetting it, Nagura smiled politely at the man and took the bag.

The crew chief tapped Nagura on the shoulder again and pointed to a vehicle idling a hundred meters toward the Cossack rear. Nagura nodded and jogged toward the vehicle. He heard the aircraft's engines whine slightly as they rotated back to horizontal.

A young man wearing the Sarzonian equivalent of a Navy Commander's uniform saluted briskly and held the vehicle's door open for him. Once Nagura was safely inside, the man shut the door and stepped around the vehicle to get in on the opposite side. With the doors closed, the brutal whine of the TT-11's engines was muted to a level which permitted normal speech.

"Admiral Nagura? I am Commander Loeffler, Incorporated Sarzonian Navy. I've been sent to escort you to your meeting with Admiral Marcus. Is there anything else you need from the aircraft, sir?"

Nagura kept his smile internal. The young man was doubtless somewhat scandalized to see an Admiral wearing a mottled grey coverall with no decorations save three black stars on the epaulets and the name Nagura embroidered in black thread over the left breast pocket. He opened the carry-on bag at his side and drew from within a black beret with the Sun and Cogwheel seal at the front and placed it carefully on his head. "I have everything I need, Commander. Shall we go?"

Loeffler had a very good poker face. He keyed the vehicle's intercom and ordered the driver to proceed without so much as a raised eyebrow. The vehicle accelerated smoothly and turned off the flight line onto a surface street running parallel to it. Nagura looked out the window at the bustling airfield. Despite the arrival of a foreign Admiral, actual work seemed to be going on. This was impressive, since Nagura was very familiar with what he considered the non-essential fluff that usually accompanied such visits.

Aloud, he asked, "Is this a naval airfield, Commander?"

Loeffler nodded. "Yes, sir. Admiral Marcus has his headquarters here."

Nagura once more noted Loeffler's tendency to hesitate slightly before and after referring to Admiral Marcus. "The officer cadre, at least, certainly bears out External Security's reports of a Navy-wide devotion to Marcus." Without betraying the existence of the internal monologue, he replied, "That would explain all the bustling about."

The vehicle slowed to a smooth halt in front of a modest two-story building with two armed guard in full-dress uniform standing by the doors. Commander Loeffler opened the door as the vehicle stopped and walked around to open Nagura's door as well. Nagura hadn’t waited. He was already standing next to the vehicle by the time Loeffler reached the vehicle's rear. Without missing a beat, Loeffler turned and waved the vehicle on before preceding Nagura up the sidewalk. The guards snapped to attention as the Admiral reached the first step, and someone within opened the doors as Loeffler reached them.

Nagura was delighted. In some navies, there would have been eight sailors in uncomfortable dress uniforms piping him aboard, followed by a herd of flunkies-in-uniform to carry his bags and ring a bell and a great load of other useless ceremony. "Let us hope that the lack of useless ceremony continues." he thought to himself.

Marcus watched out from the promenade of the office building that held his headquarters in Nicksia and nodded with the grim approval of a schoolmaster. The workers knew their jobs and tended to them with an efficiency that few navies could match. Even though the Scandavian Empress had just called their efforts in Inkana to task, the Navy above all was quick to learn and quick to adapt.

He pulled out one of the drawers behind his desk and thumbed through the collection of dossiers on various militaries and governments, finding the folder labeled EOE with little trouble. He pulled out its contents and splayed them on his desk, taking great care to check out the "Customs" section. He didn't want the Navy caught with its britches down on anything major or minor; even something as simple as a greeting uttered the wrong way would irk Marcus for weeks. Anything less than cool perfection was not an option.

He thought about Murphy's long ride from Woodstock and realised that helicopter flights were both a blessing and a curse. The Sarzonian civilian air traffic control system was a pain, but at least the air fields near Marcus's headquarters weren't nearly as congested as the airport in Nicksia. That and Murphy didn't have to deal with traffic along Porter Blvd. No one in his right mind wanted to deal with Porter Blvd. traffic.

For his part, Murphy took a one hour nap, showered, shaved, and pulled out his diplomatic dossier on The Evil Overlord. While Murphy had never been an ambassador, he helped ambassadors to countries from Pacitalia to Praetonia prepare for the unique cultural imperatives they would have to face. Although he would have to go about the preparation without anyone in External Affairs helping him along, he'd done enough of these diplomatic briefings to know how to cut to the chase. He also felt remarkably rested after his shower and the nap gave him some time to relax.

Marcus finished perusing the folder, jotted down some notes so he would remember what he'd need to say, and he strode confidently toward the conference room. He heard a beep from his personal communications device and picked it up.

"Marcus."

"This is Commander Loeffler, sir. Admiral Nagura is on his way to the conference room."

"Splendid. I look forward to meeting him." Marcus then saw Murphy shaved and looking for all the world like he'd had a full eight hours of sleep even though he'd had maybe one.

"Got a good night's rest Murf," Marcus asked in a dry tone that belied the joviality that led him to ask a question that seemed so sharply removed from the obvious. Murphy gave him a look and stood while Marcus opened the door. The two men walked to their positions and awaited Nagura's arrival.

Admiral Nagura followed Commander Loeffler into the meeting room and quickly compared the faces present against his memory of the ES dossier on the Sarzonian command structure. Loeffler guided Nagura toward a cluster of officers near the large table, and Nagura was finally able to recognize Admiral Marcus among the group. Since they were indoors, and therefore not required to salute, he stepped forward beside Loeffler as the latter cleared his throat and introduced him.

"Admiral Isushiro Nagura, may I present Admiral of the Navy Stephen Marcus." Loeffler gestured Nagura forward and continued, "Admiral Marcus, this is Admiral Nagura, from the Evil Overlord's Task Force Carousel."

Up close, Nagura checked the commander-in-chief of the Incorporated Sarzonian Navy against the dossier photo. Marcus was still impressively hale, despite his age, and there seemed to be few signs of the strain that would surely be wearing on any man with such grave responsibilities. Nagura inclined his head slightly as he grasped Marcus' hand.

"It is an honor to meet such a distinguished professional, Admiral."

Marcus nodded crisply in return. "Pleased to have you here. We appreciate your government's assistance, Admiral Nagura. We can begin whenever you're ready."

In short order, Marcus got the meeting underway. After dispensing withthe preliminaries with a gratifying minimum of elaboration, Admiral Marcus asked Nagura to outline his interdiction proposal.

Nagura drew several maps from his carry bag and gave them to Loeffler to distribute, along with several hardcopy lists of the units involved. "With your permission, Admiral, I will be somewhat less than diplomatic."

Marcus nodded grimly, and Nagura continued. "Briefly, Sarzonia is at risk of a devastating attack by Pantera, Automagfreek, or any of their respective allies. Despite the recent Incorporated Army- and militia- succcess at Branwyn, a full-scale Panteran assault on mainland Sarzonia stands a fair chance of succeeding."

Nagura forestalled any objections with a raised hand. "Even if Sarzonia were to destroy such an attack, the damage to Sarzonia's infrastructure, military, and politics could very easily become catastrophic.

"Pantera is not necessarily the only potential threat, but the presence of Panteran reavers in Sarzonian territory provides a dramatic recent reference point." Nagura tapped one of the printouts on the table in front of him.

"In deference to Sarzonian public opinion, the Dominion has deployed Task Force Carousel to help Sarzonia reduce the probablilty of a succesful attack. In conjunction with the already fearsome Incorporated Navy, Carousel is designed to make would-be aggressors reconsider the cost-benefit analysis implicit in any possible attack."

Admiral Marcus interrupted. "You said, in deference to Sarzonian public opinion. What precisely do you mean by that?"

Nagura smiled without humor. "If the Dominion were not concerned with the political consequences to your government, Carousel would have been accompanied by two Strike Forces and three divisions of Amphibious Assault troops. This would have increased Carousel's strength to nearly 250 ships, with 300 additional aircraft."

One of Marcus' aides furrowed his brow. "You mean the Dominion sent us 200 ships and nearly a thousand aircraft, and you consider this to be understrength?"

Nagura nodded gravely. "Politics, as usual, trumps military policy." He chose a printout from the stack on the table and raised it. "If you will please refer to page 4, entitled 'Proposed EOE Support, you will see what I mean."

Admiral Marcus glanced at the document he had already perused while Nagura was speaking. "The Dominion is offering us four hundred aircraft, two divisions of Mechanized, and a Brigade of Air-Defense artillery?"

Smiling, Nagura nodded. "My government beleives this to be the minimum requirements for defense of the Sarzonian mainland- especially since the Incorporated Army is undergoing a massive overhaul."

"You can't seriously expect me to agree to this right now?" Marcus asked softly.

"Of course not." Nagura shrugged. "Politics trumps military policy. I can only make the offer. It is up to your government to decide whether or not this is acceptable."

He returned to the maps. "Admiral, gentlemen. If you will examine these maps, you will see Carousel's current deployment. I have stationed the 11th Carrier Battlegroup here, with the patrol AOR highlighted in green." His finger swept across the map to a point nearly 500 kilometers distant from the first. "The 1st Carrier Battlegroup is here, with their AOR in orange. Note that we are staying well away from the Sarzonian mainland and Branwyn."

Nagura looked up to meet Marcus' eyes. "We were prepared to assist Sarzonia in re-taking the island, but the point is now moot."

Tapping the map again, Nagura continued. "There are two Interdiction Groups- one to either side of the Carrier Groups' AORs. The area between- the expected Threat Axis- is covered by Patrol Group 36." He pointed at a large group of vessles just within Sarzonian waters. "This is the 116th Support Group. They are operating just within Sarzonian waters for logistical reasons."

Meeting Marcus' eyes again. Nagura said, "As you can see, Admiral, these are the best we can do to protect Sarzonia without causing political problems for your government. If Carousel could operate closer ashore, there would be fewer gaps in patrol coverage. If we had constant support from shore-based patrol aircraft, there would be no gaps in coverage." He grinned savagely. "I can't guarantee that somebody wouldn't be able to invade, but I can guarantee that they would get seriously mauled before they got a chance."

He paused for a moment. "This is all subject to your approval, of course. Our current deployment can be maintained for months, if needed- so long as our support ships can replenish at Sarzonian ports."

Marcus sat still for a moment, grimacing silently as he listened to Nagura. The information was a lot to digest, and the political ramifications were swimming through his mind faster than Michael Phelps through a 400 metre individual medley.

"Very well," Marcus nodded. "I will inform my government of your offer, though as you know, I'm not in position to promise much more than that. Though I think I can convince our ports to supply your ships. In the meantime, I'd like to introduce our ambassador designate to The Evil Overlord, Mr. Peter Murphy. Pete?"

Murphy strode forward, extending his hand nervously. Nagura shook it and nodded.

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Murphy," Nagura said, nodding slightly. Your presence is certainly overdue, Nagura thought as he pondered the lengthy delay between Sarzonia and The Evil Overlord establishing diplomatic ties and the two countries actually establishing ambassadors. Too bad the politicians can't take a cue from their navy.

Marcus stood up and nodded. "I'm going to let the two of you formalise the arrangements for the embassy and I'll discuss these matters with my top brass. Admiral," he said, nodding at Nagura and stepping out of the room.

He looked at Proposed EOE Support once again. The higher-ups are going to have my head, Marcus thought sullenly. He pictured Vice President for Naval Operations Kathy Bunhall acting like he proposed tripling the Navy at the expense of the education budget. He'd never hear the end of it. Dutifully, Marcus transmitted a note to the higher ups in Saugerties. Within 10 minutes, the phone to his office rang.

"Marcus."

"Steve, tell me what the hell you committed us to," the voice bellowed on the other end of the phone. Marcus scowled.

"Josh, let me explain," Marcus said. "You've seen the force outlay of Carousel."

"I'm aware of it," Williams snapped. "About this page four," he added.

"Page four is their proposed support," Marcus said. "Even if we are successfully able to fight off the Panterans, the damage we would likely take from a massive defensive battle would destroy our economy if nothing else. We had to throw everything at Pantera in Branwyn."

"We didn't have everything in Branwyn and we didn't get reinforcements there until hostilities stopped," Williams reminded Marcus. "We weren't expecting house guests in Branwyn but we're expecting them to come by now."

"Still, they'd have to think twice if EOE gets involved as much as they're proposing to."

"Steve, look, I'm not going to have the votes in Parliament to agree to this. Mike's on board with it, but I don't think even he could get that through the Conservatives."

"Can't we offer EOE a full alliance or something to shut up the Conservatives?"

"Oh great, now you want us to offer an alliance? What do I look like, Ghandi?"

"Josh, I may not be an expert in political affairs, but you know EOE's history. You also know that a full-scale alliance would make a statement to the world that we're not going to be fucked with. The chance of striking a death blow to the Panterans or the Freeks before they even arrive is too great to ignore Josh."

Marcus waited a few beats, not hearing anything and growing concerned. The next sound he heard was a deep sigh. Finally, House Speaker Josh Williams spoke again.

"All right. I'll pitch it to the Military Affairs Committee. I can't promise anything." Williams hung up, leaving Marcus to stand up and paced around his desk as if he were a moon orbiting a planet. What Marcus didn't know was that Williams was left with his own perfect storm.

Josh Williams was pacing his office one final time. His final year as Speaker of the House was drawing to a close and he realised that life outside of Sarzonian politics was beckoning. He looked out the window at the streets leading toward the House building where he did his main work away from the House of Delegates' main chambre.

Seems like they did a great job of cleaning the streets after the victory parades, Williams thought. Sarzo's fiery speech played in his mind, as did the crescendo of applause that followed.

"We faced one of the world's most fearsome foes and we did not blink" Sarzo said before being interrupted by a torrent of applause. "We stood and fought for what we believed in and we made a statement to the world. No one intimidates the Incorporated States of Sarzonia!"

Williams knew his time in the House was drawing short. By the Constitution, he was reaching his term limit. More importantly, the Conservatives and the Liberal Imperialists were gaining more and more of the seats in Parliament. Well, the Sarzonia Unity Party after the Liberal Imperlialists renamed themselves, making a concession to the realities of Sarzonian society. Connie Jacobi looked well on her way to winning the next term as House Speaker.

The reverie soon jolted to a halt when the phone rang. Williams looked preturbed at the interruption of his pondering his and his country's respective legacies. He let that look pass and he picked up the phone.

"Josh Williams."

"Mr. Speaker, sir."

"Admiral Marcus!"

"I suspect you received my fax?"

"The one regarding the proposal by The Evil Overlord?"

"Yes."

Fuck, Williams thought.

"I don't think that deal has a chance of passing the House, Admiral."

"What do you mean? Carousel's large enough in its own right to make any nation in their right minds think twice about attacking our shores. If they had the full complement of military they were proposing, even Automagfreek would have to think long and hard about attacking."

"It's not that Admiral," Williams began. "It's ... Sarzonia has a longstanding policy against even having diplomatic relations with a dictatorship. This flies in the face of that policy."

"Mr. Speaker," Marcus replied. "I may not be a lawyer or a scholar of politics, but it's been my experience that some laws are, shall we say, selectively enforced. They may be a dictatorship, but they've also supported us in numerous causes, at least diplomatically they have. I know we don't enforce every single regulation in the books in the Navy. There'd be too many of them."

"How the Hell am I going to get the House to support that kind of build up," Williams asked. "There's no way I can get the votes even if I promised a few favours."

"Perhaps we can placate the Conservatives or the Liberal Imperialists, uh, I mean the Sarzonia Unity Party by offering EOE a full alliance?"

"I don't know if that's going to work."

"If I know the conservatives, it will work," Marcus said. "I may not be a genius when it comes to politics, but give 'em enough rope and they'll know what to do with it. If they don't hang themselves."

"All right, I'll give it a shot."

Five hours later

"All right Admiral," Williams said with a sigh, trying hard to fight off the fatigue that set in following a bitter debate in the joint session of Parliament that followed an equally contentious argument in the House. "The House agreed 277 to 275. The Senate voted 25 to 25," he said. Marcus sighed on his end, but Williams continued. "Lieutenant President Nicole Lewis cast the tiebreaking vote in favour."

"Well, that's a relief," Marcus said. "I'll let Admiral Nagura know that we agree to the increased EOE military presence in Sarzonia and we'll offer them a full alliance. Thank you Mr. Speaker," he said, hanging up the phone.

Don't mention it, Williams said as he slowly lowered the receiver onto its resting place. Please don't mention it.

The Admiral activated the buzzing intercom circuit with a silent curse for his interrupted sleep. When he spoke, however, his voice was crisp and professional. "Nagura."

"Admiral, the Foreign Office personnel are on deck."

Nagura nodded to himself and swung out of his bunk. "Thank you, Captain. Please arrange for the Ambassador to get escorted to my Briefing Room. I would appreciate it if you could join me there in fifteen minutes."

"I've already given the orders, Admiral. I'll meet you there."

Nagura took the fifteen minutes to wash the sleep out of his eyes and touch up his shave. He strode into the Briefing Room exactly on time, and frowned inwardly at the scene. Captain Aguinaldo had called for attention as the Admiral entered the compartment, but two of the diplomatic staffers had carried on their conversations until a tall young man in a rumpled suit had curtly told them to shut up. To Nagura's surprise, they had.

Captain Aguinaldo handled the introductions. "Admiral, this is Conrad M'Gawe, EOE Ambassador to Sarzonia. Ambassador, Admiral Nagura, Commander of Task Force Carousel."

Nagura was surprised again. The young-looking man in the rumpled suit was being introduced as the Ambassador. The Admiral eyed the man closely. His hair was cut slightly longer than military standards, and he appeared to be understandably tired from the long flight, but his back was straight and his eyes were clear.

"Technically, I'm only an emissary." the young man said as he offered Nagura his hand. "I don't become an Ambassador until the Sarzonian government accepts my credentials."

Nagura shook M'Gawe's hand briefly and waved for everyone to take their seats. The Ambassador took the seat to Nagura's left, across from Captain Aguinaldo. The Captain raised an eyebrow at this- most Foreign Office types preferred to sit at the opposite end of the table to distinguish themselves from the barbaric military types. Nagura checked the reactions of the Ambassador's Staff. They seemd a bit nonplussed.

"Mr. M'Gawe, for the purposes of this briefing, you are the EOE Ambassador to Sarzonia." the Admiral stated drily. "In the interests of saving time, I will omit the usual pleasantries and other nonsense that usually precludes the conduct of business at meetings such as this."

The diplomatic staffers seemed to be on the verge of having kittens, but the Ambassador merely nodded and said, "Go ahead, Admiral. I understand you've been to see the head of the Incorporated military."

Nagura nodded. "Just over ten hours ago, I paid a courtsey call on Admiral Marcus. I advised him of Carousel's make-up and intentions, and also advised him that I deemed Carousel to be insufficient to the task of protecting Sarzonia. I asked him to convey the Dominion's request to base long-range aircraft and air defenses in Sarzonia to his government. We also discussed re-supply for Carousel's support ships at Sarzonian ports, and he agreed."

After checking that his staff was taking notes, the Ambassador said, "I've seen the proposed list of military assets, Admiral. If I were a Sarzonian, I'm not sure I'd be willing to accept all of that."

Nagura almost smiled. He nodded instead. "Just so. Three hours ago, we received a meassage via the UWP link with Sarzonia. The Incorporated government has voted to offer the Dominion a full political and military alliance."

As expected, this shocked everyone in the room except Nagura and Aguinaldo, who were already knew about it. M'Gawe shook his head, puzzled. "We're already allied with Sarzonia. Hell, that's why we're all here!"

"I expect it has a lot to do with the internal Sarzonian political situation." Nagura said bluntly. "You should take the time to listen to the drivel some of the 'opposition' media outlets are spouting."

"I've been reading the ES transcripts on the flight in." M'Gawe said distractedly. "You're absolutely right, Admiral." He was silent for a moment, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Admiral, what is your estimate of Sarzonia's ability to resist an invasion?"

There were muffled gasps from the lace-panty diplomats at the end of the table, but Nagura ignored them. "Assuming they weren't stretched thin fighting in a half-dozen trouble spots around the world- like Inkana, for example- I have no doubt the Incorporated military would do an excellent job of defending Sarzonia."

Nagura hit a button and lit the main display unit on the wall behind him. The External Security Status of Forces report for Sarzonia appeared on the screen. "As you can see, the Incorporated Navy is a very professional outfit. Nearly as well-equipped as the Dominion Navy. Their Air Force is also well-equipped and well-trained, not quite up to Dominion standards, but more than adequate for the job. Their Army has suffered from a lot of neglect, and- as usual- that translates into poor performance on the battlefield. To their credit, the Sarzonians have recognized the problem, and a large-scale revision of Army doctrine, training, and equipment is underway."

Nagura shook his head. "Unfortunately, that makes the situation rather more dangerous for Sarzonia. Despite their good showing at Branwyn, the Incorporated Army is not in any shape to take on a world-class Army like Pantera or AMF. Give them a few years, and that should turn around sharply."

"And our primary threats?"

"I assume you mean the military threats, Ambassador." Nagura changed the display. "Pantera has a world-class military. Training and equipment are comparable to Dominion standards, and their military is slightly larger that ours. We have two advantages in the event of a conflict with Pantera- we are an unknown quantity, and we would be defending against a long-range assault."

The screen changed again. "Pantera is currently not heavily involved in many conflicts at the moment. This means that they could assign a shockingly large percentage of their military strength into a single campaign. The fact that their Reavers did not quickly overwhelm the garrisons at Branwyn could be putting a lot of pressure on the Panteran government to do something about their military reputation. This makes Pantera the Primary threat here."

The AMF SoF report appeared. "AMF is also a well-known military power, and their troops are experienced, well-equipped, and well- trained. Their rating a Secondary threat is due to the fact that AMF is busy fighting off several would-be invaders at the moment. AMF could deal with the invaders and launch a strike against Sarzonia, but such an assault would very likely fail in the face of combined Dominion-Sarzonian defenses.

"Another worry is the possibility that allies of Pantera or AMF- or both- might join Pantera and/or AMF in an assault on Sarzonia. Given that scenario, Carousel and the Incorporated Navy elements currently available wouldn't be sufficient to prevent a successful landing."

Ambassador M'Gawe sighed. "By currently available. I assume you refer to the fact that the Incorporated military is scattered across the world stamping out- or starting- brush fires."

Nagura nodded in lieu of answering. The Ambassador continued. "Admiral, what is your opinion of this alliance proposal?"

Shaking his head, the Admiral replied, "Not my call, Ambassador. That sort of political decision is made way above my pay grade. When the message came in from Admiral Marcus, I immediately forwarded it to Kaligrad. Headquarters told me that you were on your way."

"And that puts it squarely in my lap." M'Gawe grumped silently. Aloud, he said, "Admiral, I understand the Foreign Office has already notified Sarzonia that I am en route, but I would appreciate it if you would contact Admiral Marcus and let him know personally."

"I'll send the message as soon as we adjourn ,Ambassador." Nagura said. "What shall I say is your ETA?"

"I doubt it will take more than an hour or so to get there from here." M'Gawe replied, surprising the Admiral once more. "We'll depart as soon as you can arrange transportation."

Captain Aguinaldo was staring at the Ambassador in shock. Most diplomats preferred to arrive in style, during daylight hours, and with plenty of rest before hand. This new Ambassador had been in the air for more than 20 hours, and was prepared to make another two-hour flight with no rest.

Nagura merely nodded. "I'll ask Captain Aguinaldo to call for a TT-11 to carry you in, Ambassador." He turned his head to the Captain, who was already contacting her Operations Officer to arrange it. "By the way, Ambassador, there was a Sarzonian diplomat present at the meeting with Admiral Marcus. A Mr. Peter Murphy. He's been designated the Sarzonian Ambassador to the dominion. This would make him your opposite number. I'll ask Admiral Marcus if he's still about so you can meet him."

M'Gawe was surpirised in turn. He hadn't expected Admiral Nagura to consider the diplomatic angle. "Thank you, Admiral. That is an excellent idea."

Nagura checked his SSIN, then rose and offered his hand to the Ambassador again. "Your aircraft will arrive in about thirty minutes, Ambassador. Now that the business is over, allow me to welcome you to Task Force Carousel." M'Gawe rose and shook the Admiral's hand, and Nagura thought, "I am damned glad you're here."

Williams had one more act to preside over before his term as Speaker came to an end. As of noon the next day, Sarzonia Unity Party Delegate Connie Jacobi would assume the mantle of House Speaker. By custom, she would adjourn Parliament for the year until their designated day to reconvene, the fourth of January, a date that was three weeks hence. But Williams had one more piece of official business that wasn't part of the ceremonial passing of the torch.

"Hearing no further debate, call for consent on the nomination. Any objections?"

"Objection."

Williams gave a withering glance. Oh, it's him, he thought. Neil Grisham, the Conservative Delegate from Cooke objected to the call for consent, thus requiring Williams to call for a vote. Knowing the contentious nature of the debate over the military alliance with The Evil Overlord, Williams realised that would mean a painstaking process of counting votes. Even with the electronic program used to count all votes electronically.

"Hearing the objection from our esteemed colleague from Cooke," Williams began. He wished he could have said something far less complimentary, but that would have to wait until he was Private Citizen Josh Williams and he was removed enough from his days as a politico to say what he really wanted without fear of reprisal. "I call for manual vote on the credentials of Mr. Conrad M'Gawe to serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from The Evil Overlord to the Incorporated States of Sarzonia. Please indicate either 'aye' or 'nay' via electronic transmission."

Williams sat back. He knew the House's procedure in the event the electronic voting computers were on the fritz didn't need to be employed; though he had his pages prepared just in case he needed to distribute 550 slips of paper for the Delegates to write 'aye' or 'nay'. The vote counter began its silent drone of the opinions of people from far flung walks of life who registered their decision on the merits of M'Gawe as diplomat to Sarzonia. He looked up with some relief as the 'aye' count reached 218 as opposed to only 91 'nay' votes. However, that relief would soon change.

WWWWWEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

All of a sudden, the chambre was bathed in darkness and the electronic display was dark. With a whirl, dim emergency lights came back on and the room was soon pierced with the murmurs of engineers and civilians with the unexpected loss in power.

"Time to start the manual vote," Williams said, deciding not to bother with Robert's Rules of Order. That would extend Williams's last day in office by several hours. Finally, as the watch on Williams's right wrist chimed 2 a.m., a clerk came up to Williams and whispered in his ear. All of a sudden, the power came back on, but the electronic vote counting display remained dark.

I don't care, Williams thought. Let's get this over with.

"By a count of 347 votes to 201, the House of Delegates hereby approves the credentials of Conrad M'Gawe to serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Incorporated States of Sarzonia. Please transmit this approval to Admiral Nagura. This meeting stands adjourned," he said, banging his gavel.

Now I can get some sleep, he thought as the last few days of his career as Speaker of the House seemed to ambush him all at once and hang oppressively over his head.

It was a bit unusual for a foreign military aircraft to land at a civilian airport, but Conrad M'Gawe, the new EOE Ambassador to Sarzonia, insisted on following standard diplomatic protocol. Accordingly, the TT-11 Cossack made a conventional landing at Woodstock's International Airport and taxied to the terminal for Customs inspection.

The Ambassador sat in the rear of the aircraft, speaking with his External Security liaison officer, Gerard Fontenot. He interrupted his discussion when he noticed the aircraft's Crew Chief standing in front of him.

"Mr. Ambassador? Captain says you and your party can disembark now."

M'Gawe yawned and stretched, then clapped the sergeant on the shoulder. "Thank you, Sergeant. We'll get out of your hair straight away."

The sergeant nodded and walked away between the stacked containers which held the Embassy's gear. Conrad heard her gruff voice order the rest of the fligth crew to begin unstrapping the non-human cargo. Turning, he waved to Major Keila Jennings, the Embassy's Internal Security commander.

"Keila, please have your team assist the flight crew with the cargo once our hosts have cleared everything for entry. I sent a message ahead requesting a light truck or smiliar vehicle and driver to get you and the gear to the temporary Residence." The Major nodded and began issuing orders into her hand-held as the Ambassador turned back to Fontenot.

"Gerard, I want you and the rest of the Staff to go ahead to the Residence as soon as you get cleared through Customs. I should be meeting some Sarzonian Foreign Office people here who will take me to meet the Foreign Minister. Get things organized at that end, and turn things over to the Major and her people once they arrive."

Fontenot nodded thoughtfully and scribbled notes into his handcomp. "Yes, sir. Feathers or lead?"

"Keep it light and low key, Gerard. Let me know what you find, but don't act on the discoveries until you hear from me- unless it seems to be an immediate threat to our safety. Consult with Keila, I've already given her the word." Conrad turned toward the exit, then stopped abruptly. "Gerard? Make sure you contact the local authorities and get their threat assessments as well."

"Yes, sir."

The Ambassador clambered down the short steps onto the tarmac and smiled at the Sarzonian officials waiting for him. "Ladies, gentlemen. Thank you for meeting me. Shall we begin?"

Mark Lorber fidgeted momentarily while he waited for the Cossack to land. He'd only heard perfunctory information about The Evil Overlord until this recent round of negotiations began. He knew the country's reputation and how much wrangling went on in the House of Delegates to approve the embassy. The vote looked like it would fail spectacularly until Williams made an impassioned speech on the House floor. In fact, for the Speaker, it was arguably THE most impassioned speech in his political career.

The multi-partisan agreement that resulted in the approval of the overtures toward The Evil Overlord played in Lorber's mind, as did the fact that he would be meeting M'Gawe for the first time. He looked at the rest of his aides, including Lieutenant Colonel Lenny Specter, his military advisor.

"Boss, why didn't you send the normal delegation to meet a new ambassador," Specter asked. "It's somewhat unusual for you to go yourself."

"Mike Sarzo is serious about furthering diplomatic relations between us and The Evil Overlord. You know that vote has his fingerprints all over it."

"Don't almost all votes have his fingerprints on them?"

"The army reforms didn't."

"If there's one thing Sarzo has, it's a sense of when to jump on board with something," Specter replied. "He did that in the nick of time with the army reforms. Besides, after the war against Pantera, those reforms are looking mighty good right now. His political capital is at an all-time high. People are going to listen to him."

"Perhaps," Lorber said. "In any event, we've got a job to do." Lorber looked around at the Woodstock International Jetport and saw the air control tower jut out like the chin of a proud soldier at full salute. The paint job just weeks before glistened in the early afternoon sun and the light breeze made for a welcome break from the bundle of nerves that were competing for Lorber's attention.

He watched as an impossibly young man approached him with a smile.

"Ladies, gentlemen. Thank you for meeting me. Shall we begin?"

He doesn't waste any time, Lorber thought. I like this kid already.

"Yes, let's get started," Lorber said. He offered his hand to shake M'Gawe's. "I'm Mark Lorber, Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer." Turning to Specter, he motioned his right arm in his direction and said, "this is my miliary advisor Lieutenant Colonel Leonard C. Specter. To my left is incoming Speaker of the House of Delegates Connie Jacobi. And to her right is her Chief of Staff, Joanna Nelson.

"Shall I show you to the conference room or would you like to get settled first?"

Conrad smiled broadly as he shook the Vice President's hand. "It's an honor to meet you , sir." he said cheerfully. Turning to the others, he shook their hands as well. "Colonel Specter, Madam Speaker, Ms. Nelson. Please call me Conrad. I've noticed that unnecessary formality often gets in the way of actually accomplishing anything."

Turning back to the Vice President, the Ambassador said,"By all means, let us get right down to business. The conference room, if you please. My staff will take care of the luggage and getting the Residence established, once they've been cleared through Customs. I trust that arrangements have already been made?"

Mark Lorber glanced at his Aide. Colonel Specter nodded and said, "Yes, sir. A Foreign Office official will accompany the Customs people."

"In that case. I am entirely at your disposal, sir." Conrad said to the Vice President.

The entire group turned and entered the waiting sedan. During the brief ride to the conference site, the Ambassador got the ball rolling.

"I've seen reports of the political wrangling going on in your government." he said bluntly. "If I may say so, a less vociferous but similar discussion has been taking place in the Dominion."

The Vice President arched an eyebrow, but let Colonel Specter take the bait. "We were under the impression that the Dominion did not permit public political debate." At Lorber's frown, he quickly added, "No offense, sir."

Conrad smiled. "Well, not in the sense that you have public debate here, no. But the Dominion does allow discussion of EOE activities among the Citizen/Shareholders by means of the EOE intranet. Citizen/Shareholders can make suggestions and constructive criticism of any EOE policy, and the senior management pays attention to these comments."

Mark Lorber allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. "How does that work?" he asked suddenly.

"Every Citizen/Shareholder has access to the Policy message boards at any time. They may make comments, objections, and suggestions at their leisure. Useful suggestions can earn Citizen/Shareholders bonuses, promotions, and paid vacations to Amida Island."

Lorber's Aide took the bait again. "What about silly or useless suggestions?"

Conrad's smile grew broader. "The penalties are usually public humiliation, which can often result in demotion, loss of pay, etc. Participating in the Policy board discussions has both risks and rewards."

The Vice President got the conversation back on track. "So there was considerable policy discussion about Sarzonia?"

"When Pantera invaded Branwyn, there were some who felt that this was 'just desserts'. Several people used the phrase, think of it as evolution in action." The Ambassador shrugged. "The Warlord felt that our commitment to Sarzonia as a UWP ally was worth far more than the expense of even a war with Pantera and/or AMF, and His Omniferocity agreed."

Conrad noted but did not comment upon the quick glances which passed between Lorber and the Colonel at the mention of the Union of World Powers. He was well aware of the strained relations between Sarzonia and both Pacitalia and Euroslavia as a result of the Gholgoth affair. He kept his face impassive and continued.

"Task Force Carousel was dispatched as soon as the assets were assembled, and the rest you know." He glanced out the window and leaned back in his seat. "Your latest bombshell is the offer of a full military alliance between the Dominion and Sarzonia irrespective of the UWP. Should we infer anything from this?"

Lorber paused for a moment when M'Gawe asked him about the sudden offer of full-scale alliance with The Evil Overlord. He drew his breath in slowly, trying to choose his words carefully. Finally, he nodded his head for a moment.

"Well," he began, "as you may know from your intelligence, the Incorporated Sarzonian Government has strong policies against having any kind of diplomatic relations with oppressive regimes." He looked at M'Gawe for a brief moment to try to gauge his reaction to the comment, hoping the newly-named Ambassador didn't take it the wrong way.

"The debate in Parliament ranged from skepticism over Sarzonia warming up to a nation it thinks doesn't quite meet its ideals of democracy to questioning whether we needed to establish a separate alliance with a nation with whom we're already allied through the Union of World Powers," Lorber said. He paused again, drawing in his breath and slowly exhaling in what could be observed as an effort to marshall his strength.

"And there is considerable discontent within Parliament surrounding Sarzonia's presence in the Union of World Powers," Lorber said. "The tensions between Sarzonia and Euroslavia and Sarzonia and Pacitalia are well-documented. We don't believe they've really been served their stated roles as neutrals and, we feel that we've been stabbed in the back by the Euroslavians.

"As for Pacitalia, there's the usual back and forth, but nothing that a good couple of days of eating and beer won't fix, huh," Lorber said in a voice that suggested false confidence. He hoped the impossibly young-looking ambassador wouldn't pick up on the insecurity he felt over the growing fault lines that occasionally sent the two allies near the breaking point.

After Specter looked at him, Lorber leaned in slowly, as if he were telling a secret.

"The situation between Sarzonia and Pacitalia is worsening constantly," Lorber said in a stage whisper that was audible only to M'Gawe. "Sarzo believes the Pacitalians cherish their precious neutrality more so than they do the friendships they have with countries on both sides of the Gholgoth Wars. Sarzo also believes the Pacitalians and Euroslavians are purposefully trying to undermine us by condemning our every move."

Lorber leaned back slowly with a look of weariness beginning to overtake his 40 year old features. Even though he was still a relative youngster, even compared to Sarzo's 50 years of age, the diplomatic firestorms were taking their toll. He knew after this, he'd probably need to go on holiday. He slowly leveled his gaze at M'Gawe and waited for his response.

Conrad's face remained impassive as he listened to the Vice President, but his mind was racing furiously as he digested what he heard. "The situation is worse than the ES estimates!" he thought. "Much worse. I wonder if the UWP can hold together under this kind of strain?"

Nodding, he said aloud, "Well, the Dominion certainly fits Sarzonia's description of an oppressive regime." A slight smile and deprecating wave of the hand accompanied the words. "We've been called far worse. We're far more interested in the realities of business than in semantics or appearances."

The Ambassador raised his eyes for a moment to marshall his thoughts. "That brings me back to the crux of the matter." he said finally. "The Dominion- which really means Evil Overlord Enterprises- is mainly interested in trade. His Omniferocity agreed to join the UWP because of its potential to increase global trade and the rule-sets which benefit that trade. This in spite of the Dominion's long-standing policy of non-alliance with foreign powers."

He grinned suddenly. "I've been doing my homework, you see. EOE trade has increased by 16% since joining the UWP. This includes a 4% increase in trade with Sarzonia alone. Global market share has risen more slowly, of course, but the pattern of growth is fairly substantial- even to a Zaibatsu like EOE."

The car slowed to a halt, and Conrad glanced out the window. "If this is our destination, we should probably finish the discussion inside."

"Yes, we're here," Lorber said. The driver came around and opened the door for the combined diplomatic teams of both Sarzonia and The Evil Overlord and Lorber exited the car first. He stood and waited as the others, including M'Gawe got out, then they walked toward the conference room.

During the walk, the discussion about Sarzonia and the strains with the Union of World Powers weighed heavily on Lorber's mind. The last thing Sarzo wanted was a situation that would drive a permanent wedge between Sarzonia and two allies, though the debate centering on Azazia's possible admission was threatening to do just that.

The debate in Parliament surrounding possible direct relations with The Evil Overlord was also casting a large shadow on the Senior Vice President and External Affairs Officer's mind. Sarzonia had until recently rebuffed Roman Republic's repeated overtures toward full diplomatic relations, citing the ages old policy. Now, Sarzonia was about to take a step that risked being viewed as hypocrisy in its most blatant form. But Lorber knew the edict from the Incorporated Sarzonian Government was there and he had a job to do.

The door to the conference room opened and Lorber and company walked in. The room was outfitted with a flat screen television with digital video equipment that was as top of the line as it got. While the room didn't resemble the Situation Room that Sarzo and cabinet officials were used to in Woodstock, it still did the job. Lorber motioned to the seat across from his and sat down, while the other members of the parties began to take their seats.

"Well, Conrad," Lorber began, "shall we get back to work?"

Lorber took care to project a matter-of-fact approach in his interaction with M'Gawe, but he was impressed with the young ambassador's interest in dispensing with needless formality. If there was one thing the Sarzonian people were unimpressed with, it was a false need for formality. Sarzonians didn't like to put up airs and they hated it when other nations did the same. With that in mind, Lorber figured Sarzonia and The Evil Overlord would get along just fine.

Ambassador M'Gawe slid into the indicated chair and shook off a brief feeling of fatigue. He grinned broadly at the Vice President. "This looks a lot like the Warlord's office." He said to Lorber's questioning look. "Usually, a diplomat called into the Minister's office is in for a very rough time. I had to remind myself he wasn't going to come in and rake me over the coals."

After asking for a cup of tea, Conrad dove right back into the discussion. "Evil Overlord Enterprises is interested in trade, as I said. Sarzonia has been having difficulties with your oil economy, from what I understand." He paused to accept his cup of tea and sipped it before continuing.

"While the Dominion does control the oil reserves in the Redoubt Islands, it wouldn't really be economical to ship it halfway around the planet. The amouint of extral oil would hardly do much for Sarzonia's economy anyway." Conrad passed Lorber a standard CD-ROM from his briefcase.

"On the other hand, EOE can sell you our mulitdrive engines. Your automotive industry can put these in their cars for less than the price of standard engines- even after shipping costs. Standard passenger vehicles will get an estimated 75% increase in fuel economy as a result. Best of all, you won't need to create a new infrastructure to power these engines. The fuel you have will go farther, and this will help reduce the overall dependence on oil."

His grin grew wider, and he pointed at the CD-ROM in front of the Vice President. "Even better, you can use these engines for military vehicles. We put 'em in our tanks, for example. Improves their operating range rather dramatically."

Mark Lorber handed the CD-ROM to Colonel Specter and nodded thoughtfully. "Aren't we putting the cart before the horse? Trade is important to Sarzonia as well, but we're mainly interested in the military and political benefits of an alliance."

Conrad shrugged and finished his tea. "I mentioned that there was a great deal of discussion within the Dominion about the recent crisis. You may be sure that there is also a great deal of internal debate about the merits of a full-scale alliance with Sarzonia distinct from the UWP alliance."

Lorber's Aide took the bait again. "Does this mean the Dominion isn't interested in such a separate alliance?" he asked.

Shaking his head, the Ambassador replied, "Not quite what I meant, Colonel. From a purely economic standpoint, the Dominion is interested in closer ties with Sarzonia. The military and political questions are the main drawbacks to such an alliance to many people at home."

He held up his hand and raised the index finger. "This entire fiasco with AMF and Gholgoth is one item we're concerned about." Another finger joined the first. "Then there was that mess in Inkana."

Conrad lowered his hand and shrugged again. "I could go on, but I take it my point is made. Despite the common perception of the Dominion as an oppressive military power, we have rarely committed combat forces outside our home territory. The few times Dominion might has been sent outside our territory have been for the assistance of allies or to demonstrate the Dominion's displeasure for certain acts of international stupidity- such as the attempted closure of the Bering Straits a few years ago, and the attempted closure of the Gulf of Mexico the year before that. In both those cases, by the way, the presence of the EOE Navy was enough to cause the trouble-makers to back down."

Specter was puzzled. "Do you mean to tell me that the Dominion of the Evil Overlord is worried about Sarzonia's perceived aggressiveness?"

M'Gawe's grin was blinding. "Precisely."

Lorber eyed Specter and saw the military advisor raise an eyebrow at M'Gawe's declaration. He'd known Specter only four years, but the two men were familiar enough with each other that Lorber knew exactly what was on Specter's mind.

Isn't that a bit hypocritical, Specter thought. Lorber knew it, and Specter knew that Lorber would be responsible for finding a diplomatic way of putting it. He also knew his boss had quite a lot to process, namely the reluctance on the part of the EOE ambassador to discuss the military alliance that was a central tenet of what Lorber was being expected to bargain for.

"With all due respect, Mr. Ambassad- uh, Conrad," Lorber began. "Being questioned by a government that isn't exactly tripping over itself at the suggestion that it's a dictatorial regime about our perceived aggressiveness is a bit hard to take." He fixed a steady gaze at M'Gawe as he continued. "The way I see it, our governments have more in common than might be otherwise imagined."

"Let's hear it Mr. Senior Vice President," M'Gawe said as he continued to grin at Lorber. "I'm interested in what you perceive are our similarities."

"For one thing," Lorber began, "our policies with respect to military presence in a trouble spot are similar to your own. In particular, our expression of displeasure by power projection. We failed in Inkana, there's no getting around that. But we also succeeded in standing up to Pantera. We also succeeded in intimidating Moronyicka out of their anti-gay policies. One of our weaknesses has been borne out of a traditional strength. We have limited experience landing an invasion force in part because our Navy has been so effective in getting our point across.

"But this meeting isn't about sabre rattling or sword brandishing. This meeting is about setting the groundwork for the long overdue formalisation of diplomatic ties between our respective governments."

Lorber eyed the CD-ROM in front of him.

"Economically, it's well known that Vice President Hedge is endeavouring to help us establish a more sensible energy policy and it is indeed true that we are in the process of establishing a Vice Presidency for Energy Policy. The information you've given me about the new engines should prove quite handy for Janis.

"With respect to the military and political alliances, in my opinion, both of us have gone through great lengths to get here. It would be a shame if the only thing we were able to accomplish was an exchange of embassies, not that I view that as unimportant," Lorber said. "On the contrary, it is. But as I've indicated, Sarzonia's membership in the Union of World Powers is under considerable Parliamentary scrutiny."

At that moment, Lorber's mobile phone beeped. Looking apologetically at M'Gawe, he pulled it out and said in a stage whisper, "what? I'm in an important meeting."

Lorber's eyes widened for a moment and then he said, "I see," then hung up.

"The House of Delegates has just scheduled a special session and a floor vote on whether to withdraw from the Union of World Powers." Lorber grimaced. "According to Speaker Jacobi, the measure has strong multipartisan support."

Not the least of which includes much anti-Euroslavia sentiment, Lorber thought to add, but then reconsidered. He didn't want to give M'Gawe even more ammunition for The Evil Overlord to send him home empty-handed. He figured the economic deal would at least keep Sarzo from ripping him a new one. He just hoped M'Gawe wouldn't trump Sarzo's efforts at doing so.

M'Gawe was stunned and made no attempt to hide it. Recovering his composure, he sat back in his chair and nodded thoughtfully. "The possibility had been considered, but not so soon." he said shortly. "I won't bother going into the details of what is- after all- a Sarzonian internal decision, but I will say that the Dominion has long valued Sarzonia's presence in the UWP, and we would be sorry to see you go, if it came to that."

Shaking his head, the Ambassador got back on topic. "That brings us back to the issue at hand. Despite from the Dominion's ... disquiet ... over what we see as Sarzonia's meddling in other nations' internal affairs, we still have a significant commercial interest in continued close relations with the Incorporated government. This will still be true in the unfortunate event Sarzonia elects to leave the UWP."

The Vice President paid close attention to the things the Ambassador was not saying. M'Gawe still seemed reluctant to discuss a full political and military alliance. He was about to mention it himself when Conrad surprised him again.

"Then there is the matter of Sarzonia's reputation for avoiding close ties with non-democratic governments like the Dominion." the Ambassador said. "His Omniferocity's government truly appreciates the international- and internal- political consequences inherent in Sarzonia's offer of an alliance. Regardless of your opinion of Corporate governments in general and the Dominion in particular, Sarzonia's reputation in this matter was a significant factor in the decision to proceed with this mission."

Smiling broadly at the poorly-concealed astonishment on the Sarzonians' faces, Conrad nodded. "His Omniferocity's government is worried about the effect on Sarzonia's reputation if we agreed to a full military alliance. Truth is stranger than fiction, and that's a fact." M'Gawe tapped his empty cup absently with a finger and looked at the ceiling as he continued. "The effect on the Dominion's reputation would be far less severe, and largely positive in any case, so this was not really an issue."

Dropping his eyes back to meet Lorber's, the Ambassador went on. "That said, I believe we can manage to create some sort of permanent separate alliance without unduly corrupting Sarzonia's reputation."

Colonel Specter shook his head. "Damned if I can see how." he muttered to himself. Lorber gave him a hard look, but the Ambassador didn't seem to have heard.

"What I have in mind is primarily an economic agreement." Conrad said carefully. " The main focus would be on improving commercial ties between the Incorporated government and the Dominion. This is the bit you can focus on to make it more palatable for your people. However, we can include language in the agreement which essentially makes it a mutual-defense pact." He smiled crookedly at the Vice President. "Perception is all-important. If we play with the wording properly, you can mollify public opinion internationally and within Sarzonia and still have the benefit of Dominion military protection. Since I am not an expert in the political processes of representative governments, I'm going to have to rely on your assistance in phrasing the agreement to accomplish both goals."

Lorber sat silently for a moment, playing the words from M'Gawe in his head carefully. It didn't look like the full military alliance was going to enter into the equation; however, this was more than his intelligence was expecting him to earn from The Evil Overlord. But that wasn't what was giving Lorber pause.

The Dominion's concerned about damage to our reputation, Lorber thought. That wasn't a thought he considered as entering the discussion over in that mysterious expanse where only EOE personnel were permitted. Try as he might, he couldn't wrap his mind around the seeming contradiction. How would Sarzonia's reputation for not cozying up to non-democracies factor in the decision by such a government to give pause to the full alliance that Sarzonia proposed?

He took great care to word his response to M'Gawe just so, especially since the tenor of these negotiations fully taxed his diplomatic skill in ways he'd never counted on. I guess sometimes negotiating with an ally can be harder than negotiating between bitter enemies, he thought. As strange as that sounded, it was what seemed to be the reality here.

"You're right to express concerns about how our government can manage to deal with the international and internal fallout of possibly sidling up to a country that doesn't necessarily fit the profile of a country we would maintain close relations with," Lorber said finally. "However, I suspect that politics makes strange bedfellows in just about any environment."

Lorber noticed the look of confusion on Specter's face and noticed the look on M'Gawe's face that told him the young man's mind was churning. He chose to make things more explicit.

"I'm sure that in your nation, the political reality sometimes belies the letter of the law," Lorber said. "There are laws in my country that are on the books but are either seldom enforced or are outright ignored. There are also enough loopholes in certain laws sometimes to run a gridball team through them."

Lorber didn't explain the term, but with The Evil Overlord's excellent intelligence, he was sure that even the Sarzonian name for American football didn't escape EOE intel. Besides, his point was clear. He could find a way to work around Sarzonia's reputation for shunning relations with dictatorships and get it through a skeptical House of Delegates. Even though he was mostly sure that he had made his case with M'Gawe, he decided to add a bit more emphasis to his comments.

"Our two closest allies are monarchies," Lorber said. "While they're constitutional monarchies, they still have empires, no matter how much imperialism is treated as a curse in my nation. Our government is highly influenced by a political party known in Praetonia and The Island of Rose as Liberal Imperialists. However, to make their views more palatable to a Sarzonian public that hates imperialists, they have chosen to take on a new name. First it was the Sarzonia Unity Party, now it's the Progressive Party. Whether that works in the long term or not is anyone's guess, but they have a plurality in Parliament these days."

Specter cleared his throat as if he were trying to remind Lorber to stay on subject and Lorber gave his military advisor a glance before speaking again.

"With all that said, I believe the Cabinet and I can work on the wording of an agreement between our nations that will provide the mutual defence pact our government was hoping to get and the strengthening of economic ties which is a priority for your government. I can't necessarily speak for what the House of Delegates will do with such an agreement, but if the President is on board with it, he can usually get done what he wants."

Lorber was right. President Mike Sarzo usually got what he wanted from the Parliament of the country he founded. In fact, one of the few times his veto was overturned by a two thirds vote in Parliament had to do with the Domestic Defence Appropriations Act that essentially threw roadblocks into Sarzonian purchase of foreign-built products. However, like just about any law, the DDAA had loopholes, and Parliament could always selectively enforce the law if the need arose.

Lorber took a sip from a glass of water that had been set in place by an aide and paused as if he were trying to rest his vocal chords from talking much longer than he was accustomed to at any one sitting. He then looked expectantly at M'Gawe while waiting for the young ambassador's response.

Ambassador M'Gawe beamed. "Excellent! As I said, I'm no expert in your internal politics, so what I have in mind is laying out the skeleton of the agreement in plain language. Once we're all agreed on the realities, we can overwork the thesaurus and write out the details to create some perceptions palatable for your parliament and populace."

He stifled a yawn with an effort, then shook his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Regular diplomatic protocol recommends that we take a break and consult our respective governments about what we've discussed so far, but time is of the essence, here." Conrad nodded his head in the general direction of Task Force Carousel, patrolling the approaches to Sarzonian waters. "If the worst happens, and your government decides to withdraw from the UWP, Task Force Carousel would be withdrawn as well. That means we need to hammer out the details as soon as possible."

The Vice President shook his head. "Parliament doesn't operate that quickly. There will be considerable debate before the question is put to a vote. Days, at the least."

Conrad shook his head in turn. "Let us assume the worst-case scenario. The House of Delegates finishes debate in record time and calls for a vote on withdrawing from the UWP. The vote passes. In the meantime, the proposed Dominion-Sarzonian Alliance is still in Committee, and might be stalled there for days. Admiral Nagura takes his fleet away, and Pantera and AMF decide to take advantage of the temporary reduction in your defenses to launch an assault."

He shrugged and gave Lorber a crooked smile. "Not very likely, perhaps, but certainly possible. In any case, when I was in the Army, we got taught to act on the enemy's capabilities, not his intentions."

Conrad pulled his hand-held out of the carry bag and started tapping in commands. "We need to make it palatable to the Sarzonian public for Dominion military personnel to be stationed on Sarzonian territory. These would not be combat troops, mind you, but logistics specialists, engineers, and technicians."

He looked up at the Vice president and grinned broadly. "I can't sell what I wouldn't buy. If I were you, I wouldn't like having a couple of divisions of foreign combat troops in Sarzonia on a permanent basis."

Looking back at his hand unit, the Ambassador continued. "Admiral Nagura recommends stationing ground troops on Sarzonian bases. We could certainly do that as a temporary measure, but this would doubtless prove to be something of a strain for both sides in the long run. I had in mind two brigades of Air-Defense artillery instead. That's twelve batteries of Skyripper missiles, along with several dozen mobile detection stations. For shore defense, we could give you production rights to the Rapier SSM. This would augment Sarzonia's already formidable naval defenses."

After checking to see that Colonel Specter was following his talk on the main display, M'Gawe went on. "We'll need to set up some sort of Status of Forces Agreement first, but that's probably not going to be much of an issue. If Dominion troops get into trouble in Sarzonia, they'd be subject to Sarzonian law. We'll specifically put that into the text, with the proviso that Sarzonian law does not apply during combat operations. Sarzonian military regulations will apply to Dominion troops on Sarzonian military installations, with the same exception."

Colonel Specter was curious. "What the hell does that mean?" The Vice President shook his head, but the Ambassador smiled.

"Dominion troops do not render salutes in combat. Ever. EOE troopers tend to assume that saluting in combat is deliberately intended to mark the recipient for enemy sniper fire, and take the appropriate actiosn to remove the risk. That is just one of the potential problem areas."

Specter nodded, and the Ambassador resumed thinking aloud. "I suggest your Admiral Marcus get together with Fleet Marshall King and work out a suitable joint staff organization, after the pact goes into effect. We'll have Dominion and Sarzonian staff officer exchanges, for example, to build up a combined Alliance Staff Corps."

Colonel Specter had a thoughtful gleam in his eyes as he added this concept to the list on the screen. Lorber cleared his throat and asked, "I thought we weren't talking about a full military alliance."

Conrad shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "If you confer with Sarzonia's delegates to the UWP, you'll see that the EOE representative suggested exactly this concept there. The main sticking point with a full military alliance is the difference between offense and defense. We have no problems taking offensive action in support of our allies, but there had better be a very clear and compelling reason to do so." He shrugged again. "That said, we routinely beat to quarters whenever an ally gets threatened- as witness the existence of an EOE Task Force patrolling Sarzonian waters as we speak."

Lorber frowned. "So you're basically offering a similar policy to that which exists in the UWP."

M'Gawe nodded. "If Sarzonia were to decide to invade Panama tomorrow- to pick one totally unlikely scenario for illustration- the Dominion would have to be convinced that this was necessary to protect Sarzonia before we would join in. On the other hand, if Pantera were to invade Sarzonian territory- or even threaten it- Dominion ships would suddenly be all over the place, Dominion troops would be landing at Sarzonian bases, and Dominion warplanes would fill the skies."

The Vice President pursed his lips and thought about it for a moment. At last he said, "I see what you mean." Leaning forward, he changed the subject slightly. "What about the economic side?" he asked. "We already have a no-tariff free-trade policy with the Dominion through the UWP, but I gathered that you had something more in mind for our separate alliance."

M'Gawe smiled broadly. "Oh, yes. To begin with, we should include in the agreement that Dominion courts will enforce Sarzonian Court decisions against EOE operations when they conflict with Sarzonian law. Sarzonian court decisions will be enforced against EOE assets by Dominion law. I'm speaking only about civil court cases. Criminal matters will be the jurisdiction of Sarzonian criminal courts. EOE personnel who break Sarzonian law will of course be subject to Sarzonian courts. We should include some language about extradition for criminal matters."

"What about Sarzonian citizens in the Dominion?" Lorber asked.

The Ambassador nodded thoughtfully. "Similar question, with a similar answer. Sarzonians in EOE territory will be subject to Dominion law. Since Dominion law is often described as draconian, it would be a good idea to make sure any Sarzonians who enter EOE territory be fully briefed about the local laws."

He grinned suddenly. "We already do this for visitors to Amida Island, of course. We'll set up some sort of visitor's center here in Sarzonia to make sure that everyone travelling to Amida, Zurich, or any of the other entry ports, gets a complete indoctrination about Dominion law." The grin slipped a bit. "We have a joke back home: We have no crime, despite the fact that almost everything is against the law."

Shaking his head, the Ambassador said, "Back to business. Sarzonian shipping will get free- as in no charge- access to EOE port facilities, and discounts on fuel purchases. Standard Customs inspections will still apply both ways, of course. That reminds me, a great many recreational pharmaceuticals are legal in the Dominion. We'll need to get a list of what is and is not legal in Sarzonia and include them in the Customs agreement. Weapons shouldn't be an issue, because all weapons are illegal in the Dominion. Any weapons brought into Sarzonia would have to comply with Sarzonian laws. Violators of Customs regulations will be subject to local laws. Perhaps we could set up a joint Customs Commission, or something, to make sure there are no misunderstandings."

Conrad leaned back in the chair. "Let's see. EOE would enforce Sarzonian patent law in Domonion territory, and vice-versa. Marriage and similar customs shoudn't be an issue, because EOE doesn't much care who does what with whom." He leaned forward suddenly as a thought struck him. "Come to think of it, prostitution is legal in the Dominion. If it isn't in Sarzonia, we'll have to have a restriction on exporting the trade to here."

Waving a hand, he sat back again. "We'll include most of these issues in the clause about local laws having primacy. We probably ought to include language about trade and cultural commissions to resolve any difficulties which may arise. Maybe a three-member panel, with the chair rotating every six months or so. Another detail we can work out later."

M'Gawe checked his hand unit and nodded. "I think that covers the basics: Dominion and Sarzonian mutual defense, joint offensive operations on mutual agreement, primacy of local criminal laws, mutual enforcement of civil court decisions, extradition of fugitives, mutual patent law enforcement. Am I missing anything?"

"Thank you Ambassador, uh, I mean Conrad" Lorber said evenly, remembering his desire to dispense with formality. The latest in the litany of negotiations was bearing more fruit than he expected it to, but Connie's message about the impending House of Delegates vote gave him cause for great concern. He knew it would usually take several days of deliberations before Parliament agreed on much of anything. An intern for a Delegate from Woodstock even joked that deciding which variety of bread went into the French toast served at the cafeteria was subject to a marathon debate session.

However, Lorber had a foreboding feeling that now wasn't the time to let his nation's history of Parliamentary debate guarantee the length of time he would have to send this agreement to them. Knowing Connie, and knowing the nature of special sessions, even in a heavily divided Parliament, time was of the essence.

"If you'll excuse me Conrad," Lorber began, "I'm going to see if I can buy us a little time." He held out his mobile phone in M'Gawe's line of sight and motioned toward the hallway.

M'Gawe smiled slightly as if to say "be my guest," then Lorber walked out of the room. He pushed the speed dial combination to dial Jacobi's direct phone line and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Constance Jacobi," she said.

"Connie, Mark," Lorber said. "Listen, is a vote scheduled on the Union of World Powers?"

"We've just gone to recess, but it should be right after the recess, why?"

Oh shit.

"Mark, what's going on?"

"Connie, I need you to do me a huge favour."

"What's that Mark? The vote's going to be in three minutes."

"I need you to table the vote."

"Mark! The vote's the whole bloody reason we're even here when we should be getting ready for Christmas. I'm not going to table the vote."

"Connie, I need you to do it. We've got a chance to get most of, if not all of what we want in these negotiations with The Evil Overlord, but for everything to fall into place, I'm going to need you to table the vote until I can send you the agreement."

"Mark, how far along are you on this agreement," Jacobi asked. "If you're still dickering over major points, I can't postpone this vote."

"All we're discussing now is final language. It will be worth our -- and your -- while if you postpone the vote on the Union of World Powers. If you don't, Operation Carousel comes to an abrupt end and we're left to face the wolves ourselves."

Lorber heard a long sigh on the other end of the phone. He checked his watch, knowing that the vote was now due in seconds. Finally, Jacobi responded.

"I'll do it. You owe me bigtime for this. She curtly hung up the phone. Mark imagined her high heeled shoes clacking furiously on the floor as she walked toward the chambre. He waited for her response.

**************************************************

As the members returned from their recess, they began to murmur when Jacobi wasn't there. She was always on time. Being late was not an option for the onetime Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and new House Speaker. She finally walked up to the podium with a purposeful scowl.

"I call this meeting to order," she said, banging her gavel once. "Regarding the motion on the floor regarding Sarzonian withdrawal from the Union of World Powers," she said, looking around the room in an effort to steel herself for the bombshell she was about to drop. She drew her breath in slowly and exhaled as if she were trying to cast loose a one tonne anvil off her slight shoulders.

"I am exercising my prerogative as House Speaker to announce that the motion on the floor to withdraw Sarzonia's membership from the Union of World Powers is hereby tabled until further notice."

She looked around as the chambre began to become an echo of murmurs and catcalls.

"Order!" Jacobi's voice rang out as she banged the gavel in an attempt to silence the din of dissent. When she realised that wasn't going to happen no matter what she did, she pulled out another trick.

"This meeting is adjourned until tomorrow morning at ten o'clock," she said, banging the gavel one more time. She turned to head out of the chambre and walk toward her office. On her way to her office, a Delegate from New Morathania accosted her in the hallway.

"Madame Speaker, what the bloody hell is going on?"

"I can't explain it now Tom," she said.

"You're going to have to," Morelli, the Progressive Party delegate who questioned his Speaker's surprising move said, betraying his youthful 26 years of age and a still present college student's idealism.

Jacobi just turned, fixed a scowl on Morelli, and opened and shut the door to her office, locking it as she pulled the door shut with a force she rarely used on the office.

"Open up!" Morelli shouted, banging on the door like a jilted lover locked out of his hotel room. Jacobi sighed heavily and slowly lowered herself onto the floor as gravity and mental exhaustion consummated their conspiracy to bring Jacobi down. She pulled out her mobile phone and called Lorber.

"Did you do it?"

"I made an ass out of myself for you Lorber," she seethed. "You'd better appreciate it!"

She hung up, made a fist with her right hand and pounded the floor with one shot. The next sound to come from Jacobi's private office was the soft rhythm of sobs, though physical pain was not the reason for the tears that would soon stream down Jacobi's face.

******************************************************

Lorber walked into the room where M'Gawe gave no clues that he took a full ten minutes. He was smiling as if Lorber just had to use the restroom.

"What's the word?"

"The motion to withdraw Sarzonia's membership from the Union of World Powers is currently tabled," he said. "That buys us some time, but we've got to make sure we give them an agreement they can ratify before they withdraw from the Union of World Powers."

"So it's a fait accompli then?"

Lorber looked evenly at M'Gawe.

"From the sounds of it, it looks like it's just a matter of voting," Lorber said. "I doubt very seriously that Parliament would be so close to a vote so quickly if there weren't widespread support for withdrawal from the Union of World Powers."

Lorber finally met M'Gawe with a smile of his own.

"Fortunately, it seems as though we've gotten the hard part done from our end, at least."

Conrad M'Gawe had only an inkling of the political pressure the Vice President was under, but the strain in Lorber's voice couldn't be disguised. Nodding, the Ambassador said, "I suppose I should go into a dancing-bear routine about the benefits of UWP membership and all that, but that's Jalon Taddeusz' job- for one thing. For another, it would be like trying to teach a pig to sing- it would only waste time and annoy the pig."

He grinned broadly to overcome a yawn. "Since we have a general agreement, let's get the weasel-words added in so our respective governments don't think we've lost our minds." Conrad tapped a series of commands into his hand-held, and the little computer gave off a barely-audible whir. "How long to get the pact through Parliament, do you think?"

Lorber ran a hand through his hair and thought about it for a moment. "My guess is: not very long." he replied finally. "We already had Parliamentary approval to offer a full military alliance. All that should remain would be getting the wording of the new agreement ratified." He frowned slightly. "What about from your end? How long until the Dominion ratifies the alliance?"

Shrugging, the Ambassador said, "Once I transmit the final wording to Mikalgard, I excect to hear back within a few minutes."

Lorber forced some enthusiasm into his voice. "Well then, let us hammer out the final wording. I'd like to present it to Parliament when they re-convene in the morning."

Lorber sat down, realising that he was on borrowed time. If he and M'Gawe could get the final wording nailed down and if the respective governments approved the agreement, Sarzonia could withdraw from the Union of World Powers three minutes later for all he cared. He wanted to make sure the two nations agreed to this proposal before Operation Carousel was hampered.

He knew he'd have a lot of explaining to do with Jacobi after he returned to Woodstock, but he also knew that the House of Delegates as a whole was looking for answers and he and Jacobi weren't giving any.

He sat, marvelling at M'Gawe's studied calm throughout the negotiations -- with the notable exception of his reaction to the announcement that the House was considering the vote to withdraw from the Union of World Powers. He wondered if there was something in the water at The Evil Overlord or if the artificial intelligence capabilities made even their young diplomats into glorified androids.

Lorber also realised that even if the House ratified the treaty and President Sarzo signed it, it took two to tango. If The Evil Overlord ratified the treaty, half the battle would be won. He knew the deal, as fractious as the negotiations were that led to Sarzonia making its unexpected proposal, was two votes away from ratification. Sarzo wanted the deal and the Senior Vice President knew that Sarzo was continuing to work behind the scenes to ensure the deal would go through.

Meanwhile, Jacobi was on her mobile phone calling now-former Speaker Josh Williams, who had taken up a teaching position at the Gerald Ford School of Political Science at Joe Gibbs University. He'd just finished his office hour and had gathered his coat to begin his trek home.

"Josh Williams."

"Josh, it's Connie."

"Hi Connie." Even though Williams was a Liberal Party stalwart and Jacobi was part of the surging Progressive Party, the two were good friends due to generally similar views. Williams also took her under his wing in Parliament and watched her star rise.

"I just had the roughest session of my life."

"What's wrong Connie? You sound like you were crying."

"I was," she said in short, clipped tones, still trying hard to disguise the emotion in her voice. "I just tabled the vote on withdrawing from the Union."

"Why?"

"Mark's on the verge of a deal with The Evil Overlord, but if we withdraw from the Union before it's done, EOE calls back Operation Carousel."

"Wow," Williams replied. "Did you explain that on the floor?"

"No. There wasn't time," she said. "I'm not sure I even understand everything behind it, but Mark was insisting I table the vote."

"Well, you're going to have to explain it before very long," he said. "I'd recommend you do it if you get the agreement from Mark. You still have a chance to win over the hearts of the rest of the House, but if you don't show your hand, you'll lose the chamber."

"I know, Josh, it's just," she began.

"Connie, you'll be fine," Williams said. "Trust me."

“Ye gods and little fishes and all the ships at sea!” the Warlord snarled quietly. “Why doesn’t anyone bring me some good news for a change?”

As if in answer, the intercom button on his console lit. Seeing that the call came from Director Alsten at Diplomatic Services and not from Fleet Marshall King, it was unlikely to be more bad news about the current difficulties with Revalen. The Warlord sighed with relief and keyed the screen alive.

“What can I do for you, Director?”

“Sir, we have incoming data from Ambassador M’Gawe in Sarzonia.”

Arching an eyebrow, the Warlord opened the indicated file and quickly scanned it. “Interesting ideas this young man has. What do you think?”

“It looks very close to what we listed as an optimal outcome, sir,” the Director replied. “I have marked it as approved from our end. You are the next step in the chop-chain. What are your instructions?”

After scanning the document outline again, the Warlord replied, “Looks good on first read here as well. Let me take a longer look and I’ll get back to you.” He opened a couple of key paragraphs and made a mental note. “In the meantime, get started on a framework for these joint commissions the Ambassador suggested. Use the proposed Treaty as your template and get an outline back to me in two hours.”

The Warlord signed off without waiting for a reply and read more deeply into the proposed Treaty. He made several notes on a separate screen. When he had finished, the Warlord keyed a special circuit. The screen cleared, revealing a field of darkness.

“Your Omniferocity, I am transmitting the draft Treaty proposal with Sarzonia for your approval.”

“What is your prognosis?”

“It is my opinion that the projected benefits- political and economic- outweigh the potential risks.”

“Which are largely military.”

The Warlord nodded. “Quite so, your Omniferocity. However, in my opinion, the proposed Treaty will significantly reduce the Dominion’s exposure in the event Sarzonia begins a pattern of military expansion.”

“I concur. Proceed.”

From: EOE Ministry for Pre-Subjugation External Affairs
Department of Diplomatic Services

To: Conrad M’Gawe
EOE Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Sarzonia

Subject: Proposed Treaty


Conrad,

Excellent work so far. Please convey my compliments to Vice President Lorber and inform him that the draft you transmitted is acceptable to His Omniferocity. The Department is already working on a framework for the working commissions on customs, legal matters, and joint military operations. Any suggestions from your end will be appreciated.

In brief, the Treaty mandates mutual defense for Sarzonia and the Dominion, as well as joint offensive operations subject to mutual approval (meaning we won’t necessarily get dragged into Sarzonia military adventures and vice versa). Sarzonian citizens and Dominion citizen/shareholders will be subject to the local laws in either nation, and military personnel will accept allied military courtesies except during combat operations. Extradition for accused criminals will be handled by another cooperative commission.

Fleet Marshall King has strictly vetoed the idea of foreign officers directly commanding EOE troops, and the Warlord has agreed with her. She did agree to a joint military Staff cadre- with rotating senior officer at an interval to be decided upon later. The Staff cadre will largely be a liaison and logistics unit. The Warlord has already suggested changes to the Flag Officer career path to mandate all potential Flag Officers serve at least one tour in this allied Staff structure. Sarzonian military assets will have access to EOE military facilities (outside Dominia Insular, but including the Associated Territories).

EOE/Sarzonian patents will be jointly enforced, and disputes will be mediated by a Commission to be cooperatively manned (your idea for a three-member commission with rotating chairmanship was a good idea, by the way). Ditto for any legal issues. We can offer Sarzonians equal access to our Universities, provided they can pay. Education cross-pollination shouldn’t be much of a problem, since we already recognize most foreign learning institutions.

Keep up the good work,

Dianna Alsten
Director of Diplomatic Services Department
Ministry for Pre-Subjugation External Affairs