NationStates Jolt Archive

It was telling that the message couldn't be sent be sent by any of the nets. Use of nets was a standard Tiburonese practice nowadays, with nets interconnecting continents, planets, star systems, and galaxies, from one nation to another in a seamless stream of communication. The fact that this required a system that not even old-style e-mail could handle was proof of the hardships that these people had faced and continued to face on a daily basis. The ideal of progressiveness demanded it, and through the pen, it would be achieved. The medium of choice was the telegraph- a hearkening back to centuries ago, when a different war was being waged- one where North America and Japan were not united, but rather ripping each other's ships and planes apart in the Pacific. The pioneer age of modern aerospace warfare.

PRIORITY: ACTION THIS DAY
SEND: PRESIDENT RICHARD P. BELL, U.S.F. OF TIBURON
REC.: [HEAD OF STATE, NORTHERN UM LIZAA]
SUBJ.: DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS

UNITED SOLARIS FEDERATION EXECUTIVE BRANCH EXPRESSES GREAT SYMPATHIES WITH SUFFERING OF N. UM LIZAAN NATION. IS INTERESTED IN DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS TO CONSIDER NON-AGRESSION/ MUTUAL DEFENSE PACTS ALONG WITH POSSIBLE BILATERAL ECONOMIC FREE TRADE AGREEMENT. PREPARED TO ARRIVE AT UM LIZAA IMMEDIATELY UPON RECEPTION OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. PLEASE RESPOND BY SECCOMM-LSF ONLY.

Having completed the telegram, SECCOMM-LSF (more appropriately, the Secure Communications Service branch of the Tiburon Lightning Strike Force) used a combination of intdef tactics and Tiburonese registries to deliver their message in the capital-in-exile of Um Lizaa.

Reading over the message, President elect Jamaal bin Abbas utters a quick prayer to god before sending for the appropriate means of communication. His hands shaking he looks out the window of his slightly above ground hovel at the crumbling ruins of his country and focuses his mind on the tasks ahead.


Send: President Elect of the People Jamaal bin Abbas, People's Democratic Republic of Um Lizaa
Rec: PResident Richard P. Bell, U.S.F of Tiburon
Subj: Diplomatic Negotiations


The Peoples of Um Lizaa thank their brothers in Tiburon and extend our warm wishes to you in the hopes of fruitful negotiations. Awaiting your response to arrange arrival zone. Air security loose over N. Um Lizaa. Will send Co-ordinates of entry window upon request.

Finishing the short message, The President has it sent then gathers his most trusted agents to him and explains the mission the men's eyes widening at the thought of real foreigners not just NDA lackeys actually makign it into the north and head off to arrange things for the occasion.

A reply was quickly typed, this time as a printout of standard O-Net communications, and sent on its way. Air security may be loose, but contingency plans are necessary for the pursuit of freedom and aerospace dominance. Or so they say. The President's AS-plane will be accompanied by two air superiority fighters- but also distantly by a frigate, the TSS Eponymous. And, of course, the watchful eyes of various other Tiburon Aerospace and allied ships.

[Printed Material]
[To: President-Elect of the People Jamaal bin Abbas, People's Democratic Republic of Um Lizaa]
[From: President Richard P. Bell, the United Solaris Federation of Tiburon]
[Subject: Re: Diplomatic Negotiations]
[Classification: Top Secret- ECHELON]

President-Elect bin Abbas,

I am ready to meet you in Um Lizaa whenever you are.

Sincerely,
President Richard P. Bell,
The United Solaris Federation of Tiburon

A simple message was broadcast back giving co-ordinates for a secured um lizaan base in the far nothern areas of Um Lizaa a safety net so to speak, areas where the Iraqstanis dont patrol. Areas where the um lizaans can operate freely and live the way they want too.

The base itself has suffered badly previous conflicts constant bombardments during the wars and natural weakening of the structures shows visibly to any who look into the small yet populated base.

The Um Lizaan leader a General in the liberation force and elected president by the free peoples stands watching the skyline waiting for the Tiburonese people to arrive eager to begin his talks in the hopes of further bringing freedom to his people..

The Presidential plane was cleared for landing. Most landings of non-military vessels- and, in fact, a significant number of military vessels- tend to require clearance first. And the Presidential plane required clearance. And clearance it received.

The most noticable thing when a person comes to Um Lizaa is the devastation. It is a thoroughly ruined nation, resembling not so much Lebanon in 1970- the Switzerland of the Middle East- as much as Lebanon in 1975- the Dante's Inferno of the Middle East. It was a reality that the Um Lizaans had to face for decades. Nations had tried to help, and now the Tiburonese, only recently (~6 months ago) informed of the events that had unfolded in Um Lizaa, would be added to that list.

Along with two TLSF soldiers (as the standard guard) and the TASF frigate Eponymous (as the not-so-standard guard), President Richard P. Bell and Command General Arjun Patel (TASF), the Supreme Military Commander of Tiburonese Forces (SMCTF) emerged from the Presidential jet, prepared to alleviate the suffering of a weary nation.

Rushing forward the leader of the um lizaan liberation force the government in opposition to the Iraqstani Reich runs his hands over the wrinkles in his outfit a small ceremonial dagger hanging at his side the remenants of the um lizaan ruling house from centuries past.

Stopping before the president he salutes smartly before bowing and offering his counter-part his hand. "welcome to Um Lizaa Mr President. My apologies for the less than ideal scenery around you. Please let us move quickly no doubt there are Iraqstani spotters watching us. I'm afraid I cannot move anymore than an inch without the Reich knowing these days so you're presence will undoubtedly be reported to the ReichsFührer. What he chooses to do with this information is anyones guess." The man says quickly his voice lacking any signs of nervousness or stress.

As they move off the devestation of the surrounding areas can be more easily seen. In some areas entire stretches of buildings lay in rubble in others the bombed out shells of houses are all that remains of family homes.

Moving towards what best could be described as a vehicle the General smiles apologeticaly. "Forgive us but we are unable to afford anything more than what we manage to rebuild ourselves... I am sorry for what you must travel in here." He says as he opens the door which grinds open and waits for the men to seat themselves.

President Bell extends his hand to meet the Um Lizaan's. A swift salute from the three soldiers follows. The President begins walking around the city with his Um Lizaan counterpart- this is almost an impromptu tour. "No need to apologize. This is proof of the suffering that the Um Lizaans have had to endure since the first encroachment of the Iraqstanis. And I personally want to ensure that they will suffer no more. Let the Iraqstanis proclaim my presence here in all their papers- I and my people feel proud that we are finally able to do something about it."

He coughs slightly and squints his eyes; a dust cloud swirls in the area. It's no cause for alarm- simply an effect of the devastation of the city. The devastation of the country. He goes on. "Which brings me to why I am here. In short, my nation wants to do everything it can to help. A military alliance, economic aid, anything. With your permission, we'd also like to have one or two force bases on Um Lizaa for a rapid response capability. The defense and restoration of this nation, in short, is my goal."

He stops for a moment. "Hm. Some of the specifics may need a bit more security than we currently have. Would you like to carry the official talks aboard a Tiburonese space warship? I know the Eponymous is on hand at the moment, and larger ships are also up there if you would like."

Looking thoughtful Jamaal seems to falter slightly, a faint look of fear washing his face. Blinking he shakes off his personal fears and smiles politely at the man beside him. "I would be honoured to talk in a more secure area, I also request I be permitted to bring some form of body guard not to cause offense but simply we have very little exposure to foreign peoples the only people we see are Iraqstani soldiers, and most of the time they are either killing us or raping our women. I hope you understand our distrust at anything offered to us we know nothing of." He says politely a look of embarrasment and shame showing on his face, the looks covering the fear behind his eyes in a way he hopes is convincing......

Around them the distant sputtering of gunfire increases slightly followed by the booming thunder of explosions and then more gunfire finnaly the screams of women and children softly filter through the wind. Looking over at soldiers patroling the area Jamaal nods and they gather squads and disappear into the surrounding rubble strewn areas almost vanishing into the shadows of buildings somewhat standing.

"Forgive me again Mr President, the Iraqstanis whilst withdrawing do as much as they can to leave us with nothing but blood and rivers of dead we try as best as we can to hide but they are experienced in finding ways into our networks." He says before bowing. "If you fear for your saftey here then I am more than welcome to move to a place of your choosing after all it would be a dishonour and a slight agains Allah for me to allow any of your people or yourself to be harmed on Um Lizaan soil.."

Rich looks off in the general direction of the violence with a look of sad resignation. He nods his head slowly and then responds. "No... that won't be a problem at all. It's not about my safety, though- simply making sure that important information isn't overheard by the wrong people." He turns to the three soldiers. "Shall we?" All- including the requested bodyguard- move towards the presidential plane. A second craft has been selected for the Um Lizaans- there's not enough space in the presidential plane for all of them.

The two planes land not in the Eponymous- which is only a frigate- but rather in the aircraft carrier TSS Steven Weinberg. Once aboard, the group quickly makes its way to the designated area. Most of the crewmen are about their daily routine: work, sleep, eating in the mess halls, bantering about trivialities. The essence of life.

The bodyguard is met with an equal number of Tiburonese. It's evident that this is only a formality, although Rich still decides to explain this to Jamaal. If this was a real armed bodyguard, they would be in full power armor gear, not their shipboard uniforms. The three soldiers that were with the President earlier now leave to perform other duties, and the group enters the designated area, where furniture is already set up. The two national leaders sit down, make themselves comfortable, and Rich then gets down to business.

"Right. So. I- and the rest of my country- want to help Um Lizaa any way we can. Economically, militarily, politically. Militarily speaking is the most clear-cut. I was thinking a mutual defense pact, as well as a few Tiburonese bases on Um Lizaan soil. The bases themselves are only intended to be a deterrent- as it stands right now, Tiburon is a very militarily capable nation, so someone intending on attacking Um Lizaa would be forced to think twice about such an option. We're also willing to help train the next generation of Um Lizaan officers and turn the Um Lizaan Liberation Force from solely a guerrilla army into a professional fighting force- while, of course, maintaining the guerrilla abilities. We'd also like to help the police restore the rule of Um Lizaan law, although because the rules of engagement and Tiburonese sensibilities forbid betrayal of an ally, we cannot and will not fire on Treznorian, Dominion, or Kaeneian forces by any means. We could also provide hardware- the latest tanks, planes, small arms. Delivering new ships and spaceships may be a bit harder- you'd have to speak with the shipbuilding corporations directly, although I have no doubt that they'd accomodate. We can, however, provide you with ships and spaceships that are being phased out."

"Economically speaking, I think the best way would be for us to provide with some humanitarian aid- money packages as well as infrastructure building- but also for private investments by Tiburonese companies to infuse Um Lizaa with some more cash. This would entail construction projects, banking projects, etc. First in terms of construction would be the construction of basic infrastructure- government, housing, schools, universities, water, necessary supplies, etc. I think an extension of Tiburon's open refugee policy to Um Lizaans in general could also help build an intellectual base in Um Lizaa, educated by Tiburonese universities such as Harvard and Princeton.

Politically, we're quite pleased by the democratic system that Um Lizaa has in place. We already consider your government as the sovereign entity over the entirety of Um Lizaa, and we're willing to help promote this view in the international community through legal means. What do you think about all this? Would you like us to do more, or to have a different development plan?"

Listening Jamaal nods thoughtfully and smiles "Whilst we appreciate the offer of military protection we cannot accept it. We are honoured that you would offer this but we have lived under the protection of a foreign nations military for too long. We are in negotiations with the Reich to settle this matter and thus we cannot accept anything which might stop these negotiations in their tracks they are as important to us as maintaining our culture and way of life.

As you have undoubtedly noticed our efforts to rebuild are mainly being focused upon industrial and business, we need to first rebuild our economy to ensure that our children can look to the future and not have to scratch a living off of what the land we have defended can give us." He says finnaly, before coughing lightly into his hand and looking to his counter-part.

Bell sighs slightly, slumps back in his seat, and looks askance towards a window. The outline of an illuminated Earth along with the artificial structures of various nations can be seen in the sunlight reflected off of the Earth's surface through most of the windows in Bell's line of sight.

The Um Lizaan concern with a security treaty is quite understandable. Security treaties in the name of Um Lizaa's protection, after all, have been used to systematically strip Um Lizaa of everything it had, to slaughter its people. Bell was coming in with what could very well be more of the same, with no previous history with the Um Lizaans and offering nothing other than his word- which had yet to be proven. The economic and social measures were intended to establish trust, yes, but until they were implemented and began working, it would have to be necessary to reveal more.

Bell turns back to Jamaal and nods. "I understand your concerns perfectly, especially given this offer of friendship from a country completely before unknown to you. Let me explain completely my position, so that you may understand exactly why I'm so interested in developing the relationship between our nations to the fullest. In truth, part of the reason I and my predecessors have worked to offer this hand of friendship- and the reason that I keep on stressing a mutual defense pact- is that we're extremely committed to the cause of the liberal democracy. The liberal democracy, a nation dedicated to liberty, is one of the fundamental bases of what Tiburon is; it's a part of Tiburonese blood and thought. We're also strong believers in the concert of democracies, a natural alliance between the liberal democracies of the multiverse. The APN, as with the UnAPS before it, is an alliance built on this idea, and this idea is much of the driving force behind my meeting with you. We also want to help tremendously, any and every way we can, to help the Um Lizaan people overcome the complete destruction of their homeland."

He looks down, almost in repentance. For what, of course, can't be determined- the Tiburonese didn't do anything to actually cause this state of distress among the Um Lizaans. Indeed, they didn't even know about it until much later. But Bell, like Akanimara before him, like Chandran before her, like Starfighter before him, like Kennedy and Nehru and Singh and Roosevelt and Koizumi, like many of those who have sat in his position in his country and in his multiverse, has a desire in many situations to Do Something About It, and he wishes he could have done so earlier.

He slowly shifts his gaze back up, and continues. "So, again, I do stress a mutual defense pact with a few Tiburonese bases on Um Lizaan soil, with training of Um Lizaan soldiers and officers, and with assistance in establishing the rule of law. Economically, I'll continue my efforts at home and abroad in getting support for a long-term economic presence in Um Lizaa- the construction of basic infrastructure, the construction of banks, and the establishment of indigenous and foreign companies to get the economy up and running. I also strongly believe that to help Um Lizaa recover politically, socially, and economically, intellectualism has to be cultivated here. We can do that by both establishing a program for Um Lizaans to enter Tiburonese schools- elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, universities- and by constructing those sort of schools here as well. I actually have the backing of the Consortium of Universities* for such a program in both funding and staffing, so this should be done easily. As for humanitarian aid, that would primarily be concerned with food programs, medicine programs, shelter programs, education programs, and microlending programs, but it's quite possible that some can be persuaded to help in more directly economic matters. So. Between what I've proposed previously and now, is there anything in particular you dislike or anything you wish to add?" He moves back in his seat slightly, not wanting to pressure Jamaal into anything.

*-A group of universities, mostly private, that represents all of the elite universities in Tiburon.