NationStates Jolt Archive

After much time of civil unrest Malus sits down on the thrown of the new nation of Lamehk. After much strife the new nation is finally found its feet with the introduction of compulsory military service and the banning of all "social drugs" effectively reducing the crime rate to 0. Standing after but a short rest Malus proceeds to call all his advisers to a meeting whereby he appoints his diplomatic minister Khalek as well as various other ministers for other sectors.

"Now with our civilians stable we need to set about boosting our economy and civil rights". "Khalek, as your first assignment I want you to find a strong economic nation that we can model our political policies on. One that will help us grow and prosper"

Immediately Khalek stands and leaves the room leaving Malus and the discussion of more trivial matters.

"So Khalek, what is the situation with your diplomatic mission?"

Malus standing in the throne room turns and addresses his new diplomate in front of the council.

"Not so good, I have not been able to contact any nation willing to help us."

Malus's expression changed dramatically

"Then you are obviously not trying. Our nations growth, resources and wealth are not useful if someone can just invade us. We need alliances ans we need them now ."

"Of cause, my Emperor" Khalek nodded slowly. "How short-sighted of me not to consider that."

Malus relaxed his rage a little. "Go now and invite all willing and suitable nations to meet me here for diplomatic talks and trade agreements. Each meeting is to be conducted on an individual basis. Do not disappoint me again."

Khalek left the room quickly and Malus sensed that he was not going to be disappointed. Fear is a powerful ally.

Communications Office of the Imperial Palace

Khalek entered the small room, throwing the door open in anger. Inside, five technical offices refused to make eye contact, instead pretending to continue working on the computer screens before them.

"You there", Khalek yelled at the nearest technician to the door, venting his rage at the berating he received before the council, "Get out of my way."

Immediately the technician dove out of his seat, leaving it for Khalek, who thumped down into his place pressing several buttons to activate the outgoing long-range communications system.

To All members of the international community
From: Emperor Malus, Lord of Lamehk

We hereby request your presence at a series of diplomatic meetings to establish relations and trade agreements with fellow nations of grand character. You are invited to send a delegation with no more than two armed guards to our capital city of Hotek.

The High Council Chambers, Arrandin

The great doors to the room split open slightly and an Imperial Guard leant into the room.

"My Lord, we have received a communication from a nation calling itself Lamehk."

Balor motioned the man forward with a wave of his arm.

"Come."

The guard entered, walking across the chamber to where the Emperor sat, handing him a copy of the message before saluting and leaving again. Balor unfolded the paper as the great chamber echoed at the sound of the closing doors.

We hereby request your presence at a series of diplomatic meetings to establish relations and trade agreements with fellow nations of grand character. You are invited to send a delegation with no more than two armed guards to our capital city of Hotek.

Once finished, he passed the letter across to Lord Erkal, the only other member of the High Council present.

"Caracas and Saroir are in Xirnium, Baelin and Merrech are in Novacom and the others have business to attend to…"
"So you want me to go!"
"Ah, you are a quick study indeed. I want you to go."
"Are they worth our effort?"

Balor took the message back from Erkal and flipped through to some reports stapled on to it.

"Sattelite imaging has detected large areas of probable uranium and metal deposits. That is at least worth going to find out about."
"I will leave at once then."
"Good. I will inform them of your departure."

Eädhan Shipyards

Bloody Baelin taking the private plane, thought Erkal as he climbed into his helicopter. As he sat down the craft slowly lifted up into the air, heading out towards the sea.

Official Imperial Transmission
From: The Infinite Empire of Yallak

We have decided your nation may be worth meeting. Lord Erkal has been dispatched to attend your meetings and should be arriving shortly.

Lord Balor, Emperor of Yallak

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v209/Dionysus777/RotoviaSeal.gif
OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNIQUE
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

To: Emperor Malus, Lord of Lamehk
Subject: Re: Diplomatic & Trade Meetings

Though this is extremely un-orthodox, I -myself- shall attend these meetings to represent both Empire & Republic.

May the light of the ancients guide your path.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v209/Dionysus777/orchard-avery.jpg
His Imperial Eminency
His Royal Majesty
The Right Honourable
Crown Prince Dionysus Bacchius
Heir to the Throne of Rotovia
Prince of Crete
President of the Republic
Duke of Carthage
Ruler of Prespolis
and Lord of All Domains

Malus strode into the council room triumphantly.

"Today is a great day. Our nation has taken its first step. Delegates from two nations, one of high military might and economic prestige."

Khalek smiled to himself and Malus observed the self-pride covering his face.

"Of cause none of this would have been possible without Khalek's diplomatic skills. How did you manage to get such mighty nations to wish to meet with us?'

Khalek went to explain his skills but Malus quickly cut him off.

"Anyway that does not matter now, the important thing is that we need to put a good face on these meetings. For this reason I am suggesting that Lord Khalek be in charge of all necessary preparations."

The council supported the new and quite sudden promotion of Khalek and preparations for the arrival of the diplomats were begun immediately.

To: The nations of Yallak and Rotovia-
From: Emperor Malus, Lord of Lamehk
Subject: Trade and international relations

Emperor Malus Lord of Lamehk wishes to welcome your chosen delegates to our great nation. We a privileged to be blessed with large amounts natural resources and would be willing to offer these in agreements. Also interested in establishing Military pacts.

OOC: I'll have a reply for you when i get back from work today.

The helicopter finally sat down in a landing pad in Hotek, after receiving the coordinates of where to land. The noise of its motor slowly died as the blades rotated into a stationary position. From the helicopter emerged Erkal. He headed over towards the waiting envoy, standing a few meters from the helicopter.

“Greetings. I am Lord Erkal. Thank you for the invitation to your nation – I look forward to meeting with Emperor Malus.”

The envoy led Lord Erkal to the council cambers within the capital city where Emperor Malus and the Lamehken Council had connived.

"Ah Lord Erkal", Emperor Malus said whilst standing to greet the dignitary, the council also rising. "I trust you had a pleasant flight?"

Malus showed Lord Erkal his chair before returning to his on seat. The rest of the council members sat at Malus's gesturing.

"We still have not had word from the delegation from Rotovia-, but I am sure they would not mind if we began the meeting now." Emperor Malus spoke politely, not at all wishing to sound condescending to the Lord from Yallak.

"We are a small nation but we are also blessed with large amounts of natural resources and have a fiercely loyal population that has great military skill" Malus spoke proudly of the nation but was unsure if it would be taken as being boastful.

"We offer these our resources and our people's loyalty in the hope that we can gain allies in these dark times of world conflict." Malus paused before continuing.

"I and the rest of the council were a little surprised that such a great nation as Yallak would take interest in our affairs, What exactly is it that the Yallak government and your Lord Balor require of us?"

The sun shone brightly as Cyrus flew accross the ocean. His destination - Lamehk, his mission - to deliver a trade request from Nehehkara as per request of his great Lordship Dram.

As he approached the border of Nehehkara, he took a peak at the letter. It read
"To the Emperor of Lamehk,

We the Nehehkarians wish to establish a trade link between our lands and yours. We have as much to gain from your lands as you do from ours. We await your reply with anticipation.

Signed GateLord Dram"

Cyrus grinned as he put away the letter, for a moment he had thought it would contain something else.

The island was in sight now, and soon the letter would be in the hands of Emperor Malus...

Erkal sat down into his chair, nodding a greeting to the other Lamehken councilors.

“The flight was good Emperor Malus, you do indeed have a lovely nation.”

"We offer these our resources and our people's loyalty in the hope that we can gain allies in these dark times of world conflict." Malus paused before continuing.

"I and the rest of the council were a little surprised that such a great nation as Yallak would take interest in our affairs, What exactly is it that the Yallak government and your Lord Balor require of us?"

“Straight to business then. In our history, the Empire rarely communicates with foreign nations – they cannot be trusted at the best of times. However, after we received your transmission and ran some intelligence operations, Emperor Balor concluded that your nation might be worth our time. So, he has sent me here to make you an offer."

Erkal paused. It was often in the next few minutes, when the offer was presented, that negotiation broke down. Well, here goes.

"Lord Balor offers you protectorate status within the Infinite Empire. In short, you will provide us resources, manpower and support for our protection and aid.
Rest assured if you accept it will not be a takeover – your nations customs and government will not be affected and neither will your position as Emperor.
I do not expect an answer now, and know you will have questions. If so I will answer them wholly and truthfully.”

Erkal leant back into his chair, studying Malus’ face as he waited a reply.

It was late in the evening when Cyrus set out. His orders were to deliver a special package along with a letter to the Emperor of Yallak.

As he ascended upward in his private jet, he pondered over the contents of the package. He had already read the letter before he left, it was simple:
"To the Great Emperor of Yallak,

We are the people of Nehehkara. We have been informed of your discussions with the people of Lamehk and it has come to our interest to join the Infinite Empire as Protectorate. We share much in common, the Chaos Mark for one, and our forces grow with each passing day. It is only a matter of time before our forces are great enough to be able to aid your vast Empire in the cleansing of its land from crime and foreign spies. We have been ever aware of your Empire's might, and believe we have much to gain, should our forces join together.

We await your reply with great anticipation.

Signed,
GateLord Dram"

But his eyes remained fixated on the package. He examined the shape of the package. Then his vacant expression transformed into a large smile. He knew now what was in the package, it was a gold statue of his land's national mascott, the Winged Nightmare.

---

Even as Yallak lay far behind him, he was still at awe from the sheer size of the land. He felt a bit of excitement swell within him as he approached Nehehkara's Airport.

"Your Lord Balor's offer is indeed a generous one" Emperor Malua relaxed slightly in his chair as he spoke. It was clear to him that the Infinite Empire of Yallak intentions was focused on peaceful agreements and not on out right domination.

"We realise that you are a mighty nation and that your forces are significant to protect us from any future enemy we may encounter." Emperor Malus paused momentarily to find the right wording. "Our current dilemma is that while we are making pacts we are also making enemies as I am sure your nation has at lest one. What assurances can you give us that your enemies will not harm us significantly or that all our troops will be called to fight in a war that is not ours."

"I am not trying to say that you have to provide us with complete protection or that none of our troops will fight for you it is just that our people would sleep better knowing that our troops not just your protect our coasts."

Malus sat back in his chair and tried to smile hoping the he had not offended Lord Erkal

Just as he did this, a message was paged to him via the intercom system

"Sir we have just picked up a small plane on our long range scanners. It is not registering as being ether from Yallak or Rotovia-. It will be in missile range within five hours. We are awaiting your orders."

Malus looked at Lord Erkal who shook his head.

"Give it four hours. In the meantime scan all frequencies for word of another nations intentions and try to contact the pilot. If no word can be made shoot it down I do not want anything to disrupt this meeting."

"Yes Sir" the speaker crackled before switching off"

Official Imperial Transmission
To: GateLord Dram, Nehehkara

Greetings.

I thank you for your gift, but am curious as to your request. While we no doubt accept your wishes, and are always happy to expand the life and privileges of the Empire to others willing to accept them - you are the first nation who has asked for this and not had it offered to them.

While your answer is of interest to me, it does not change my answer. We do indeed have much to gain by joining forces. By joining you are agreeing to exchange resources, manpower and what support we ask of you in exchange for protection by our military and any aid that you so require.

If you accept this – then consider yourselves part of the Infinite Empire.

Lord Balor, Emperor of Yallak

Erkal was almost stunned at Emperor Malus' reply, it had not been the expected response. Nonetheless he held his neutral expression, refusing to reveal his surprise while he answered.

“I can give you no more assurance than the word of the Emperor and the Empire. It has been the policies of the Empire for over nine hundred years, that we do not expand our borders through conquest unless under the direst of circumstances. We also limit contact with foreign nations to prevent our past, one of constant war, from being repeated. This limits the chances of making enemies.
Yet having no enemies is almost impossible in this world. As such we do not expect protectorates to provide their military to fight our wars, unless the said wars threaten them too. And even then, we would never expect, nor want you, to deploy more than half your forces at any given time.
The Infinite Empire is devoted to the defence of all Imperial lands, not conquest.”

"See I told you all not to worry" Emperor Malus smiled and was clearly happy with the way the meeting was going.

"I am sorry that I had to be so forward but there were those within the council that believed you would have us jumping through hoops after this agreement was signed."

"I hope this fine answer that Lord Erkal has supplied will silence those who were in doubt" Malus stared randomly at all the council members who quickly nodded their heads in agreement.

"Good, then I see it fit that we accept your offers of protectorate status within the Infinite Empire, if you have the proper documents I could sing them now or would you like to convene at a time and place better suited for government?"

"Now if you do not mind Lord Erkal there is still the matter of the rouge plane heading in our direction."

Emperor Malus presses a button on the intercom and it gives a short ping.

"Have we been able to make contact with the pilot or the nation responsible for the plane" Emperor Malus was clearly hoping that word would have gotten through and that tactical military action could be avoided.

At any other time the plane would have been able to land without trouble and questions of the pilot and his/her intentions would be taken form there, but as Lamehk was the centre of a diplomatic meeting that risk could not be taken.

"No Emperor no contact has been made with the pilot or the nation sending the plane" The voice cracked back over the speaker. "Shall we continue with your orders"

Emperor Malus frowned clearly rethinking his previous orders. "Have two fighters with appropriate anti-missile equipment escort the plane to the northern runway. It is the furthest from this location and it would be better of us not to immediately shoot down a potential ally."

“No apologies needed, Emperor Malus. It is always better to be straight forward than to hide issues in the dark where they corrode international relations from within.

I have the document with me if you wish to sign it now, but it is entirely up to you.”

Erkal placed the manila folder he had been holding on his lap onto the table. Unhooking the catch on the join, he opened it and slid several pages out onto the table before passing them across to Malus.

Yallak-Lamehk Protectorate Pact
Admission of The Armed Republic of Lamehk into The Infinite Empire of Yallak

Article I: For the purpose of maintaining a permanent and solid friendship between The Armed Republic of Lamehk and The Infinite Empire of Yallak and firmly establishing peace within said nations, the Government of Lamehk shall place full confidence in the Imperial Government of Yallak.

Article II: The Imperial Government of Yallak shall, in the spirit of firm friendship, ensure the safety and repose of the nation of Lamehk - militarily, economically, environmentally and politically.

Article III: The Imperial Government of Yallak definitively guarantees the independence and territorial integrity of the Armed Republic of Lamehk.

Article IV: In case the welfare of the Armed Republic of Lamehk or its territorial integrity is endangered by aggression of a third power or internal disturbances, the Imperial Government of Yallak shall immediately take such necessary measures as circumstances require, and in such case the Government of Lamehk shall give full facilities to promote the action of the Imperial Government of Yallak.

Article V: The Imperial Government of Yallak may, for the attainment of Article IV and under the approval of the Government of Lamehk, occupy when the circumstances require, such places as may be necessary from strategic points of view.

Article VI: The Armed Republic of Lamehk will at no point be required to provide more than half of its current military forces when military participation is required of it by the Imperial Government of Yallak, unless such military action directly threatens the Armed Republic of Lamehk.

Article VII: The populous of the Armed Republic of Lamehk will henceforth be citizens of the Infinite Empire of Yallak, receiving all the benefits of such citizenship.

Article VIII: While the Government of Lamehk are the sole leadership in the Armed Republic, responsible for all administrative, law, social and political edicts, they will, for all international intents and purposes be considered the sovereign territory of the Infinite Empire of Yallak. As such, any aggression against the Armed Republic of Lamehk will be considered aggression against the Infinite Empire of Yallak, and in that regard dealt with swiftly and totally.

Article IX: The Armed Republic of Lamehk will receive all the technological aid they require or wish from the Infinite Empire, with the exception of military technology, which may or may not be supplied according to the discretion of the Imperial Government of Yallak.

Article X: The Armed Republic of Lamehk, will in return for the all the above benefits, supply the Infinite Empire of Yallak with the resources and manpower required of it by the Imperial Government of Yallak. This contribution is not to exceed the point where said tribute will damage the industry, environment or trade of the Armed Republic of Lamehk.

Article XI: The Armed Republic of Lamehk will support the Infinite Empire of Yallak in all its ventures, which should not contradict Article XII.

Article XII: The Governments of the two countries shall not in the future without mutual consent conclude with a third power such an arrangement as may be contrary to the principles of the present protocol.

Article XIII: Details in connection with the present protocol shall be arranged as the circumstances may require between a representative of the Armed Republic Lamehk and a representative of the Empire of Yallak.

Article XIV: This pact will come into force immediately upon the conclusion of both parties signing this document. In addition, to prevent the abuse of the above articles by either party, this pact will be concluded for a period of five years. After such time, the pact may be nullified by a formal withdrawal by the Armed republic of Lamehk from the Infinite Empire or at any time the Infinite Empire may not fulfill its duties to the Armed Republic.

[Signed]
Lord Balor, Emperor of Yallak

[Signed]
His Eminence, The Imperial Chancellor, Lord Merrech

[Signed]
Emperor Malus, Lord of Lamehk

After scanning the document Malus withdraws a stunning pen engraved with the national animal, the Manticore and proceeds to sign the above document under the two previous signatures.

[Signed]
Emperor Malus, Lord of Lamehk

After completing his signature Emperor Malus rose and addressed those present.

"I call on all of you here to be witnesses of this agreement and its signing and that henceforth The Armed Republic of Lamehk shall be considered part of the sovereign territory of the Infinite Empire of Yallak."

Malus retakes his seat.

"I welcome you Lord Erkal again to our great nation but this time it is as a friend not just dignitary. Feel free to stay as long as you wish or you are allowed."

Malus signals to Lord Khalek to stand.

"I place Lord Khalek at your disposal. Should you require anything he has the authority to grant you access to any of our facilities and find you any information you require."

"For as long as you see fit you and any further nobles from Yallak may have exclusive access to our finest island resort without interruption of any annoying tourists. It has its own runway and helipad and you may come and go as you and any further nobles please as long as you notify us of your arrival so security can be increased."

Malus pauses and contemplates the enormity of the pact agreement that still sat before him.

"Well you must be tired Lord Erkal, please go and rest now any further matters can be dealt with at a later date. Tonight I ask that you accept my hospitality and dine with me at my estate, a short flight from the resort."

With that the council adjourns and each member goes his own way.

“Your hospitality is most appreciated Emperor Malus. I would be most honored join you for a meal. I have no further business to attend to at the present until Emperor Balor sends word.”

Erkal stood, taking back the signed document and returning it to his folder.

“If Lord Khalek doesn’t mind I would like to see the current state of the Lamehken military.”

As Cyrus approached Lamehk he noticed the incoming fighters. He hoped this was not what it appeared to be.

He picked up the intercom and hailed the incoming fighters. He then explained his intentions: "This is Cyrus of the people of Nehehkara on a mission to deliver a letter to the Emperor of Lamehk. The letter is from Nehehkara's leader himself. My intentions are to pass this letter on to personnel at border security so that the Emperor of Lamehk may recieve it. I have no hostile intentions"

The intercom crackled silent. He awaited their reply, hoping this would not lead to conflict.

Gatelord Dram breathed in deeply as he sent a reply transmission to Yallak, he knew that if worded wrong it could bring about undesireable events.

He read through his reply thouroughly before he sent it.

"Great Emperor of Yallak

As Nehehkara has stated previously, it is in fact our wish to be part of the Infinite Empire and to provide support where we can. We trust Yallak will not make wrong decisions with our support or betray us. Many people who have travelled through Yallak into our lands have stated the lands of Yallak to be 'a prosperous utopia', so our view of Yallak is very high.

Please accept our offer, we await your reply with great anticipation.

Signed,
Gatelord Dram of Nehehkara"

His finger hovered above 'send'. After a moment's pause he finally pressed it...

Encoded Imperial Transmission
To: Gatelord Dram
From: Lord Balor, Emperor of Yallak

Very well then. I welcome you to the Empire. I also invite you to Arrandin, Yallak's captial, to meet with me and the High Council to formalize our arrangements and where you may see the land sof the Empire for yourself.

OOC: I'll make a new thread for this meeting tomorrow

Official Transmission of Nehehkara
To: Lord Balor, Emperor of Yallak
From: Gatelord Dram

"We graciously welcome your hospitality, great Lord Balor. I shall be on my way as soon as the necessary arrangements have been made."

OOC: Please send me the link to the thread when you create it. Thanks

Malus nodded intently at Lord Erkal.

"Yes, yes that should not be a problem. I will have Lord Khalek take you to Lamehk's barracks in the morning."

Lamehk's Main Military Barracks, Outside Hotek

Lord Khalek stood with Lord Erkal looking over the parade ground. twenty men in the black dress uniform of Lamehk's military marched by in perfect unison.

"Military service in Lamehk is compulsory", Lord Khalek announces. "Each citizen of Lamehk is required to complete three years of service"

Lord Khalek paused momentarily to allow Lord Erkal to inspect the passing soldiers before continuing.

"We find military service extremely useful in keeping the crime rate low, however at present we are unable to afford any significant quantities of high level technological equipment. At the present time our main military deployment is concerned with piracy and the frequent raids performed by small amounts of sea scum along the large amounts of costal area."

Teragal Airport, Northern Lamehken Airspace

The pilot listened to Cyrus', if that was his actual name, transmission before repeating his orders.

"You have entered restricted air space. We are to escort you to Teragal Airport where you will land. Comply immediately. Follow us to the airport."

They are not too bad at all Lord Khalek”, began Erkal, “but we will have to see about getting them some proper equipment. Shooting is not to good for your enemies.”

Erkal’s gaze followed the soldiers as they continued on across the grounds.

“The Empire also finds such uses in military service and that is why all schools in Yallak are military academies. Every single person spend their entire childhood and often more in service.
But come, tell me about these raiders, we shall have to fix this problem as well.”

After recieving the transmission, Cyrus entered formation with the Lamehkian Fighters. Cyrus was adept at formations, he had been in military service for 15 years until he became GateLord Dram's most trusted advisor.

Though he trusted the Lamehkian pilots, he watched their movements carefully, he did'nt want to die today.

OOC: looks like i missed you by a minute or two. After i wrote that i went to work

Lamehk's Main Military Barracks, Outside Hotek

Lord Khalek was not surprised that Lord Erkal had noticed his indication to the lack of Lamehk's military equipment.

"I am very sorry if I seemed too forward in trying to procure new weaponry for Lamehk's defence"

Khalek lowered his head briefly before turning slightly to look over the ocean.

"Subtlety has not been my strong suit and the concern for defence has been growing of late. The pirates I speak of have their main base of operations on a large volcanic island to the south west of the Lamehken Archipelago."

Khalek indicated the direction before continuing.

"It is situated on a major trade route. Form here the pirates are able to steal better equipment and we are left with an ageing fleet."

Khalek shook his head eyes closed as if trying to remove an unwanted memory.

"We have tried many a time to purge the island but the pirates are too well established and have many entrenched gun turrets"

Khalek paused briefly allowing Lord Erkal to absorb the information.

"Defence", he began again, "Is another matter entirely, as well as the one lager Battleship the pirates possess many frigates. These alone are no problem as the reef surrounding the islands restricts their movements to the shipping channels. It is the copious amounts of smaller vessels, jet- skis and patrol type boats that can evade the reef at high tide that end up doing the most damage. It is like trying to shoot at a swarm of locusts!"

Teragal Airport, Northern Lamehken

As soon as the plane's landed a small detachment of five airforce personnel headed out to the foreign plane, guns raised.
The cabin of the plane slid open and the single passenger made to get out.

"Don't move and put your hands in the air"

The pilot complied and the small force moved in surrownding the aircraft.

"We are here to relieve you of your letter", one of the personnel said with an outstretched hand. "It shall be taken for forensic analysis before being delivered. Until our Lord decides whether or not to make contact with your country you shall be kept in quarantine and your plane impounded, searched for tracking and self-destruct devices. I suggest that you hand over all of your weapons and comply without resistance."

“Do not worry yourself”, returned Erkal, “our new pact says we will aid you in all ways, and that we shall. You will soon have a mighty fleet of your own.”

Erkal gave a small laugh.

“But for now these pirate must be taught that there is no problem an Imperial Battleship cannot solve. Your trade routes are of the utmost importance to improving your nation and we cannot let this matter continue unchecked.
Do you have a map of the island or aerial imaging? It would greatly help any effort to remove this scum.”

Lamehk's Main Military Barracks, Outside Hotek

Lord Khalek began to remove a topographic print out of the pirate's island when the chopper pilot interrupted his concentration.

"Sir, we ha…" The pilot began.

"This better be important" Lord Khalek snapped back "We were in the middle of an important conversation."

The pilot waited momentarily for Lord Khalek to calm down a little before continuing.

"We have just received a message from Lord Sollonaal of Yallak. Emperor Malus requires you and Lord Erkal to return to the council chambers immediately."

Lord Khalek felt embarrassed for jumping on the pilot so ruthlessly "Very well" he said regaining his composure "That dose seem to be a more pressing matter at this time."

Lord Khalek and Lord Erkal entered the Lamehken chopper and within twenty minutes had touched down at the council helipad.

Lamehk Council Chambers

Emperor Malus sat in his seat at the end of the large oak table. To his left sat Lamehk's head of science Dr Gital.
As soon as the message from Lord Sollonaal had come through Malus had paged the good doctor to assemble a list of Lamehk's finest physicists. This he had done and it was now placed in front of him in a cream manilla folder.

Malus mused on the situation at hand. His greatest concern with establishing diplomatic pacts with stronger nations was that Lamehk had very little to offer in terms of military strength, however it seemed that Lamehk would get an opportunity to prove it's worth after all and a lot sooner than Malus had expected.

As Malus concluded his thoughts the doors to the council chambers were opened and Lord Khalek and Lord Erkal entered. Malus stood and ushered Lord Erkal to the seat at his right. Lord Khalek taking the seat beside Lord Erkal.

"As I am sure you are both aware we have received a message from Lord Sollonaal, your presence is required in Yallak Lord Erkal by the end of the day, however you will not be travelling back alone."

Lord Khalek then noticed the presence of Dr Gital as was about to speak when Malus continued.

"We have been asked to send our top physicists with you to work on a secret project known only as project defiler."

Malus took the manilla folder from Dr Gital.

"Dr Gital has been kind enough to put together this list of five of the best Lamehken physicists. It includes all relevant personal data and service records."

Taking out the first sheet from the folder Emperor Malus hands the rest to Lord Erkal.

"The list comprises of Dr Floid Bio-physicist, Dr Trelk Chemical-physicist, Doctor's Halvan and Cretal Astro-physicists and Lamekh's leading scientist and top physicist Dr Gital himself."

Emperor Malus finishes reading the sheet of paper and returns it to the folder.

"Each member has been briefed regarding the security and secrecy of this project and will be ready to depart at your leisure."

Malus considers carefully his next words not wishing to pry "Not knowing more than what was sent in the transmission it was hard to know what special attributes would play favourably in the projects development. For this reason we will not be insulted if you wish to replace any member with another member better suited to the project. Also if additional members are required let us know and we will send them immediately."

Malus stands and beckons the others to join him.

"Your chopper, Lord Erkal has been refuelled and I believe is ready to depart when you wish."

OOC: Will finish the thread here Yallak and continue in other thread. Nehehkara feel free to continue to post here till later developements.

As the Lamehkian soldiers ordered Cyrus to hand over all his weapons and informed him that he is to be taken to quarantine he felt rage and disghust crawl into him. "May i ask what the HELL this is? I am a delivery pilot, not a soldier, i have no weapons! My orders were to deliver the letter and leave, why do you think i was sent alone? If Nehehkara was trying to invade we would send much more then just a single UNARMED pilot such as myself. This is not how we expected Lamehk to react. If you must take me to quarantine then so be it, but Nehehkara is expecting a transmission from me soon stating that the letter has been delivered, if they recieve no word of the delivery then pointless problems could arise between our nations."

The anger was obvious on Cyrus' face. Never had he been met with such hostility for a delivery. He could understand the security measures, but could not understand why they would need to quarantine him, nor impound his plane.

He handed the letter to one of the soldiers, then with a moments pause he began: "I hope Lamehk will review it's treatment of delivery pilots, Nehehkara will not have its pilots treated like a plagued whore in the Middle Ages. I appologise that i must use such terms, but this charade i find quite unacceptable"

He then emptied his pockets, bag etc to show he had brought nothing but the letter with him. He then let the soldiers search his plane which was empty also.

He waited a while until the soldiers finished searching him and his plane. "As you can see, i have brought nothing but the letter and food. I will go to quarantine if need be, however I am not at all pleased by this"

After saying that he began to follow the soldiers.

The solider that had ordered Cyrus to stand down gave a smirk. ”Perhaps if Nehehkara is so capable of sending and receiving transmissions a little warning could have been given concerning your arrival and intensions. You are lucky to still be alive after trespassing.”

The soldiers led Cyrus to an armored car, handcuffing him and throwing him into the back before droving him to Teragal’s quarantine station. At the station Cyrus was processed and led to a small five by five cell that was filled with the stagnant smell of urine and rotting flesh and smeared all over in blood. He would have been given a nicer cell if it were not for his incident at the airport. A filthy urinal hung on the left wall next to a short but disgusting hand basin. Up against the right wall a small cot like bed sat as rigid as the iron bars it was pressed up against.

The plane was taken to a small abandoned hanger and left in the dark to gather cobwebs.

The letter was placed in an airtight container and labeled with a bio-chemical hazard sign before being sent to forensics.

Hours later the letter had been cleared by forensics and forwarded to Emperor Malus.

Malus read the letter and smiled to himself. He turned to Lord khalek who was still seated beside him after the departure of Lord Erkal.

“Remind me to send a technician to Nehehkara to deal with their ebbing communication abilities, oh and have Cyrus removed from his holding cell I wish to ah speak with him if the Nehehkarans can actually communicate in other ways than writing letters.”

Lord Khalek left returning with Cyrus, who had luckily been given the opportunity to shower, an hour and twenty minutes later.

“I would have been here sooner if it were not for the time wasted by this one’s lack of hygiene”

Cyrus was brought before Malus by two armed guards and sat in a seat nearby.

“So Cyrus”, Malus began “What do you have to say for yourself?”

"I have nothing to say. I won't comment on anything at all. You have recieved the letter intended for you. Now I request my plane to be returned to me so that I can be on my way. Or if you so choose to return me to my lovely cell and keep me prisoner then I cannot do anything to stop you..."

Then for political correctness he added: "...Emperor Malus"
---

A transmission beeped in the comm room. It was from GateLord Dram.

"Emperor Malus,

I have recieved word that Cyrus, my delivery pilot, is being held by you in the most appauling of conditions. I understand that this is because he was hot-headed at the Airport, but for you to get insulted by a simple delivery pilot's bad day and then send him to a quarantine centre which itself needs quarantine is very immature. I apologise if Cyrus has insulted you or your nation and i request that you send him back to Nehehkara. Unfortunately due to this incident and your reaction to it, I fear I have to withdraw my trade invitation. It is a pity it has turned out this way.

--GateLord Dram"

GateLord Dram's dissapointment was clear. He was not impressed by Lamehk's reaction at all. He knew Cyrus could get quite hot-headed but he never expected that a civilised nation could treat a person in such a manner. He swayed his head from side to side in dissapointment as he walked away from the comm center.

Then to his advisor's he simply said "It seems we have nothing in common with the Lamehkians after all. Trade will not begin between us. In fact after how they treated my pilot I declare a ban on trade with Lamehk."

There was a moment's pause and then Ulric, GateLord Dram's Trade advisor, began: "But sir, we could gain a lot from trade with such a large country, and.." GateLord Dram cut him off "..no we could'nt. I won't risk having one of our traders taken into "quarantine" just because he mouthed off about a country. If their policy is to simply shut off any who say "bad" things about their country then they are taking a path which I most definately will not follow" "But sir, I assure you there would not be any prob.." "No! I have already decided, there will be no trade between Lamehk and Nehehkara. I do not care how poor we are, we will not trade with a country that governs what it's people say! It was a pathetic way to treat a pilot, it was simply for their sick minded entertainment and I will not trade nor negotiate with such a country!" The rage was obvious. His advisor's felt it better to leave him alone.

GateLord Dram paced back and forth on the balcony thinking. After a while an idea sprung up and he went for the comm room.

"Emperor Malus,

Could you please be so kind as to inform me of your nation's policies in regard to trade, human rights etc. I would like to review them. I have thought about it and it is still possible for our nation's to trade, unless there is a law within your nation banning free speech or suppressing human rights. Again I apologise if Cyrus had insulted you.

--GateLord Dram"

He felt a bit better after sending that. He then went on his weekly walk through the streets of Nehehkara to review what condition his people lived in...

Emperor Malus smiled to himself perhaps the Nehehkarans were capable of civilised communication, however their knowledge of Cyrus' treatment disturbed him.

Malus looked over at Cyrus calmly. "How is it that your country men know of your treatment? You were not permitted to make any communications wile in quarantine."

Malus wondered what kind of force he was dealing with. From his little intelligence on Nehehkara it appeared to be a relatively new nation formed not long after Lamehk itself. He pondered the thought that a spy might have infiltrated and been leaking information but he quickly dismissed the thought.

Addressing Cyrus again Malus added "Once I can be assured that you are not spies all the information you require will be provided and negotiations can begin between our nations."

ooc: STOP GODMODING. There is no possible way that you could know the conditions in which your person was kept. You only know the information sent to you dirctly or spooken in your persence unless you intercept transmissions. Next time it happens you will be IGNORED.

Cyrus looked at malus in great surprise "Pardon? What do you mean that Nehehkara knows about my treatment? That's not possible, i have not made communications. Though I know that we have a few satellites in Low-Earth Orbit surveying the landscape, so they must have been watching my progress. I have nothing to do with this, I only know that we have satellites up there."

GateLord Dram turned away from the monitor as the satellite passed over the border of Lamehk. As he switched off the monitor his Trade Advisor walked spoke "As you can see sir, they have done nothing more then treat our pilot badly for his actions, must we still cancel trade relations?" "You know it's more complicated then that, but I have already made contact with Lamehk regarding trade. I am awaiting their reply, so until I recieve one the ban on trade holds".

As his Trade Advisor left the room his Military Advisor entered. "Sir, you called for me?" "Yes I indeed did. I want a satellite placed above Lamehk in Geostationary Orbit until this matter is resolved, I hate waiting for our Low-Earth one to get above Lamehk." "Yes Sir, it will be done. Is there anything else you wanted Sir?" "Yes there is, send a sample of our minerals to Lamehk, preceded by a transmission of course, I will not send anything their way when we are having communication problems again [he's referring to Cyrus]" "Yes Sir. Oh and Sir, you mean the samples from the Lunar Surface correct?" "Yes that is correct. In the transmission also explain to Lamehk our method of acquiring these minerals and our uses for them; it may interest them" "Understood Sir"

OOC: I am not GODMODING. I had the satellite idea planned. There are also other things i have planned about Cyrus but i will not reveal them yet. Happy new year btw

"So your nation is spying on us". Malus said coolly. "I see that before we even meet your nation distrusted us. How then did you ever expect us to get along? Is your nation really so ignorant that it thought that its actions would go unnoticed?"

Malus' temper was rising rapidly at this point but instead of venting his rage on the unarmed Nehehkaran before him his thoughts were placed on a more appropriate target.

"Lord Khalek", Malus smiled, "Have Cyrus here taken to prison. He may prove to be valuable during future negotiations. Once you are finished make sure that the satellite Cyrus mentioned does not stay in orbit above us."

Khalek smiled and nodded pleased with Malus' directions. He personally would have liked to double tap Cyrus in the chest but this solution should turn out to be interesting.

Once Cyrus was safely in the possession of two armed Lamekhen guards Khalek headed to the military command centre not far from the council chambers. Upon arrival Khalek quickly gave the order to fire an anti-sat missile at the spy satellite orbiting Lamehk. Before Cyrus had blurted out that the satellite passing over Lamehk was their's no action had been taken for fear of provoking hostility however with conformation of the target, which was now entering a stationary orbit above Lamehk, a missile could be safely fired.

--10:33am--

The room was silent as GateLord Dram watched the antisat missile hit the satellite on the monitor placed on the wall in the Comm room. The silence was broken by his Military Advisor's entrance: "Sir! Our Satellite has been shot down! This is an act of inexcusable hostility! We must destroy Lamehk! Their blo..."

He suddenly stopped when he saw that GateLord Dram was observing it's destruction himself. The room lay silent once more as Dram sat there observing the floating remains of the satellite. He appeared annoyed, but not angered, it was almost as if he expected it.

"Luckily they're not too expensive." Dram simply stated.

"But Sir! This is an act of war! We must retaliate!"

"Firstly, no it is not an act of war as we did put a spy satellite above their land without their knowledge or permission. Secondly, they kindly destroyed it above their own land, not ours, which means they do not wish for conflict to occur. This might actually work in our favour - they are all the bit pleased about destroying the satellite, though they are most definately angered about its placement there from the beginning."

There was a long pause and then Dram continued "I want a Geostationary Satellite placed above Nehehkara with 24-hour surveilance of our lands. Next I want an apology to be addressed to Emperor Malus of Lamehk. However, do not forget to include the fact that the satellite was placed there temporarily in response to Cyrus' disappearance."

GateLord Dram's Military Advisor exited the room. A moment later his Trade Advisor made an entrance.

"Good day to you sir, I'm sorry to hear of the escalating situation with Lamehk, I just wan..." "What is it that you want?" Dram snapped. He hated people who worshipped him like a God.

"I'm sorry Sir, I forg..." "Just tell me what it is you require" "Yes sir, of course. Well, our trade income has gone down a small amount since we stopped freelance trading with Lamehk, and it appears that it will continue falling slowly unless we do something about it."

GateLord Dram peered at his Trade Advisor with an annoyed expression. He then started "Well, if you had not been 'ridding yourself of wealth' in the markets buying that which a commoner cannot afford you may have recieved the information about trade with Lamehk. I have allowed trade to resume with Lamehk, not only freelance trade but full corporate trade also. During the last three hours our trade rating has gone from 0.04 to 0.08. That is double. Had you not been wasting time [Dram was getting very annoyed by now] in the market you may have heard! Or is your office a refuge which you visit every fortnight? [He was getting raged by now. Realising his rising anger he forced himself to calm down] Anyway, I have already sent for a message to be sent to Malus in regards to the satellite issue. I apologised to him about it and also stated that we do not take this as an act of war. I also sent him a message regarding trade, to which you were absent, again. In the transmission I stated that I have reallowed trading to resume between us and requested that he at least not mistreat Cyrus for he had no knowledge of the satellite and thus should not be punished. I also requested that he and I meet in person to discuss trade agreements and that we disregard our previous annoyances between each other. My expectation is that he will agree as I believe he is not as shallow as to enjoy watching an innocent man being treated like dung. I also expect his Trade Advisor is present at most of his trade discussions, unlike someone else [at this point he gave a disghusted stare at his Trade Advisor, which hung his head in shame]. I suggest you spend more time working then spending, or you will be moved back to an hourly wage rather then gross trade commission. Now that you have all the details I wish you to send a transmission to Lamehk regarding trade. I want you to show the difference in how much income from trade can be gained if we trade openly between each other."

As his Trade Advisor made for the exit he grinned. He had just realised why GateLord Dram had stopped trade temporarily. It was not to escalate hostilities between Lamehk and Nehehkara but in fact an ingenious experiment to see the difference in income due to trade with Lamehk. It was the first time that his Trade Advisor felt a very strong admirability towards GateLord Dram.

--12:04pm--

The room lay silent, with a golden shine giving the room a grandouise look. The silence was yet again disturbed by GateLord Dram's Military Advisor.

"Sir! I have sent the transmission, we now await their reply!"

"Excellent"

"Also, the Nehehkarian Geostationary Security Satellite is on it's pre-launch countdown, it should be on it's way up in approximately 1 hour!"

"Brilliant. If this trade agreement goes well I will have your pay raised"

"Thank you Sir! I am glad that I have been of useful service to you!"

"If there is nothing more you may leave."

"Understood Sir!"

--2:00pm--

GateLord Dram stood at the window as the SRBs were recovered from the Nehehkarian Plains, just outside the City Fortifications. The launch had been a success and the satellite should soon be in orbit. Just as the recovery trucks entered the City gates GateLord Dram's Military Advisor entered.

"Sir! The launch was a succes and the satellite should be in Geostationary orbit within 30 minutes and should be operational with 35!"

"Good. Send one more transmission to Lamehk regarding our new satellite over Nehehkara, and make sure that you mention it's placement is not in response to Lamehkian/Nehehkarian Political problems but in response to an earlier Terrorist attack in which some of our power stations were damaged. Make sure you also give them the GPS coordinates of the satellite and it's GPS tracking code so that they can make sure it does not go above their land."

"Acknowledged Sir! Is there anything else you require of me?"

"No that is all. Once you have sent the transmission report back"

"Yes Sir!"

--3:03pm--

With the Nehehkarian Geostationary Security Satellite in orbit above Nehehkara the lands are expected to be all the more safer. As the first live images were fed into the main monitor in the Comm room GateLord Dram let out a sigh, it was obvious that he was relieved everything had gone as planned. According to the charts if something had gone wrong the satellite could have gone on a spiral orbit towards Lamehk, which would make it appear as another attempted spy satellite placement, and thus would needlessly rise the current political problem.

As the first newly employed security personnel entered the comm room GateLord Dram smiled at them and left the room. These newly employed Security Guards would keep switching shifts every 6 hours so as to keep 24 hour surveillence over Nehehkara.

OOC: I can't make it on monday Bob - I have a job interview in the morning, but I should be back home sometime in the afternoon.

As Lord Khalek entered the council chambers once more he noticed that Britalc, Lamehk's trade adviser, in deep discussion with Emperor Malus.

Approaching his chair at Malus' right Khalek caught the bit of conversation.

"Before our boarders were open for trade we only had internal shipments." Britalc explained to Malus. "Now most of our imports come from outside the country."

Malus shot a glare at Britalc before turning and rolling his eyes sarcastically at Khalek. Stifling a laugh Khalek took his seat.

"We have received a transmission from Nehehkara." Malus began to bring Khalek up to speed with the situation. "Actually we have received several transmission" Malus corrected himself, smiling at Nehehkara's newfound love for transmission sending. " GateLord Dram has taken full responsibility for the satellite and does not wish for further military conflict. He has also re-established trade and requested that we let Cyrus go as he is but a pawn in the larger scheme of thing."

Khalek was surprised. So soon. From his point of view it seemed like an illogical backtrack on Nehehkara's behalf although it did mean a peaceful outcome was more likely to occur.

Malus continued normally, as he half expected the half surprised half-puzzled look that now plagued Khalek's face. "GateLord Dram has also requested a meeting to further sort out the political issues that have arisen from this fiasco"

With confusion still the major expression displayed on Khalek's face Malus set about giving Khalek clear and simple instructions.

"Have Cyrus' plane prepared for departure with a full tank of fuel. Retrieve Cyrus from the prison, allow him to have at lest one decent meal then give him the opportunity to leave at his leisure. I shall send a reply to GateLord Dram."

Khalek stood.

"At once, My Emperor." He stated before turning and leaving the room.

To: GateLord Dram of Nehehkara
From: Emperor Malus, Lord of Lamehk
Official Transmission
We would be happy to accommodate you and any other diplomats or security personal you wish to bring with you. Trade talks can begin as soon as you are able to arrive. Please send a reply to this transmission stating when you wish to attend.

The sun's golden rays lit Dram's face with a warm yellow glow. It was morning and Dram had been awaiting a reply from Lamehk. The room lay silent as Dram stared accross the room at a television screen on mute. The silence was suddenly broken by a guard arriving from the comm room.

"Sir! We have recieved a transmission from Lamehk!"

"Glad to hear. I shall view the transmission myself."

---

"Wonderful. I want my jet to be ready within one hour. I will be heading to Lamehk and I will also require my advisors."

"Sir, will you need security personnel?" asked a nearby guard

"Only to escort my jet to Lamehk's borders and back. I doubt we will need any security on land."

"Understood Sir!"

The guard then scuffled off toward the hangar to watch over the plane preparation.

As the guard left Dram turned toward his Military Advisor "Any word from Cyrus?"

"Yes Sir, he sent us a transmission saying that he is on his way here"

"Excellent. Arrange somewhere for him to rest when he arrives, poor man has been through a lot in my name."

"It shall be done sir!"

--10 minutes later--

Dram and his advisors were now on their way toward Lamehk and Cyrus was just a few minutes from Nehehkara.

As the radar showed Dram's jet and it's escorts leave Nehehkara's borders the assigned guard sent a message to Lamehk stating that GateLord Dram and his advisors are on their way.

--several hours later--

"Sir, we are approaching Lamehk's borders."

[At this point the escorting jets turned away and headed to an International runway nearby for refueling, and to wait for Dram to leave Lamehk]

"Good. Send them a transmission that we have arrived, then wait for them to declare which runway is available for use."

--Few minutes later--

"Ok, we are almost at the border. What the?..."

"What's wrong?"

"Sir! There seems to be 5 unidentified craft heading toward us!"

"From Lamehk?"

"No, they're coming from the opposite direction!"

"Damn! Call those escorts here immediately! If these incoming planes are hostile then we won't hold them off for long"

"Sir! The escorts have already landed, they'll take too long to get us!"

"Damn! Send an SOS to Lamehk immediately, hopefully they can help us."

"Yes Sir!"

--Transmission sent--

"I've sent it Sir."

"Good. What are our options if they cannot make it in time to us?"

"We can try to ditch in the sea, but if they're here to kill us then they'll probably strafe us."

"This is not good. How far away are they?"

"60km and closing"

"Try hailing them"

"Already tried, they simply ignore it and don't respond"

"OK, arm missiles and weapons"

"Already done sir"

"Good. Let's just hope they're not hostile"

...

"What are our options?" Malus addressed the head of homeland security General Dielk in a strong yet unconcerned voice but before he could reply Khalek supplied his own opinion.

"We could always just leave them to fend for themselves. These Nehehkarans have caused us enough problems already and now they bring an unknown foe to our door. I say let the die."

Although glaring at Khalek for his lack of respect Malus did not completely dismiss his suggestion. The thought of leaving the Nehehkarans to fend for themselves was a reasonable idea. After all they were quite capable of providing their own defence for their own leader border or no border. Malus had extended the offer to accommodate the necessary security measures required to undertake an assembly of this magnitude but there was the problem.

The Nehehkarans had brought their own entourage but concidering themselves safe within the Lamehken borders the fighter escort had returned to Nehehkara and were no longer a factor.

"No". Malus answered Khalek "If it were over international waters there would be no problem with that suggestion but there is more than the Nehehkarans at stake here. If we leave this situation to sort itself out we will be seen as weak and will have other nations planes crossing into our borders. No we will help if possible not for the Nehehkarans but to enforce our own borders."

Malus paused at this point and turned again to General Dielk "So I ask again. What are our options?"

"Well Emperor". Dielk began. "We do have a patrol boat with limited anti-air capabilities in the Nehekaran's vicinity and there is a squad of five Lamehken fighters on manoeuvres off the southern island however I believe that they are too far away."

Malus considered the information presented to him before giving his orders. "General send a transmission to the Nehekarans. Alert the patrol boat and notify them of incoming hostile fighters. Tell them to change course and fly low over our patrol boat. Hopefully we will be able to use the element of surprise to our advantage. Also redirect the five Lamehken fighters to rendezvous with the Nehekarans and to intercept any remaining hostile fighters. Oh and make sure the patrol boat does not shoot down the Nehehkaran plane by mistake."

"Sir yes Sir" General Dielk said after standing and saluting . Dielk quickly turned and exited to send the transmission.

To: Gatelord Dram Emperor of Nehekara.
From: Lamehken border security
Change your current bearing by fifteen degrees and fly low over the water. We have a patrol boat in the vicinity armed with anti-air weaponry. Please also note that five Lamehken fighters will rendezvous with your plane to deal with any remaining hostiles and to escort you the rest of the trip.

"It's a miracle!" shouted Dram in an exasperation of glee

"What is it sir?"

"The Lamehkians have sent us a transmission. We are to change course by fifteen degrees and fly low over the water"

"Roger"

Dram then turned to his Military Advisor "Any ID on the incoming fighters?"

"Possibly sir. It appears they are the MBP, that is, the Militia Border Patrol. They have been a pain in our hides for a very long time. They rarely attack us but this attack is very disturbing sir, it appears they have an informant in our government."

"Prepostorous! Our government has no spies within!" yelled Dram's Trading Advisor.

Dram considered the information carefully. He then sent another transmission to Lamehk.

To: Lamehk

From: GateLord Dram

We welcome your assistance with eternal gratefullness, we will send due reward to your lands once this situation is over. I am personally very grateful for your assistance in this dire situation and would like to provide help where i can. We have identified the enemy, they are the Militia Border Patrol who opperate near our borders and have been a pain for a long time now. Never have they dared to strike on Military or Government aircraft, so this recent attack is quite disturbing. Their weaponry is known to be ancient at best, but they have superior numbers to us at the moment, so we cannot fend them off alone.

Hopefully this information will help in this plight.

--GateLord Dram

Upon sending the transmission, he turned to his Trade Advisor.

"I want 1,000,000 Chaos Marks transferred to Lamehk once this situation is over. Understood?"

"Yes sir, of course" His face had a strange sign of fear on it. Dram thought for a second and then dismissed the thought with a light laugh.

---

"Missiles primed sir"

"Excellent. That's the patrol boat there is it?"

"Roger"

"Ok, fly past it straight for around a kilometer and then do a 180 degree flip and open fire at the enemy planes"

"Understood. But sir, are'nt we supposed to rendezvous with the Lamehk fighters?"

"Yes, but I will not leave the situation for them to handle alone. The more firepower the better."

"ok sir, but I don't think it's a good idea"

"Trust me"

"I do"

"Then show me"

With that the pilot did as Dram ordered...

"We have hear back from the Nehehkaran's," General Dielk informed Emperor Malus as he entered the council chambers. "They have been able to identify the five craft as belonging to a hostile party know as the Militia Border Patrol. The Nehehkaran's plane has just past over the patrol boat."

"Thankyou General. Keep me informed as the situation progresses," Malus relaxed back into his chair as General Dielk saluted and left.

***Meanwhile***

The Lamehken patrol boat watched as the Nehehkaran ship passed low overhead and as expected the five planes now identified as hostile were not far behind.

As the five planes came in range the patrol boat fired off its flack cannon and six STA missiles at the approaching fighters.

Some of the more gun ho crew drew their standard weaponry and side arms and fired wildly at the planes as well.

As they passed over the patrol boat they watched as it showed its true splendor. As the weaponry hit, the planes started to scramble. It appeared that 3 had been shot down by the first shots, and the other 2 managed to use their countermeasures to avoid the STA Missiles.

As they turned to run, Dram's plane opened fire on them also, though it was'nt much, as the plane was'nt meant to be used for combat.

When the planes were getting out of sight he turned back toward Lamehk to request landing permission.

"This is the pilot of the Nehehkarian Light Jet requesting landing permission..."

he paused for a second and then added "oh, and thanks for the help, we really needed it."

"Sir, enemy threat neutralised, three planes down, two fleeing. No casualties on our side sir."Dielk's voice reported clearly over the council chamber intercom where Emperor Malus was sitting.

"Thankyou General Dielk," Malus replied while holding down the talk button, "You have done well today. Have the pilots of the enermy planes found and secured in my personal prison. After that all that is left is to ensure the Nehehkarans land safely."

"The five pilots have just rendezvoused with the plane now sir and proceeding to escort them to Hotek Airport. A chopper is waiting for them there and will fly them to the council helipad." The Generals voices echoed once more out of the speakers.

"Excellent. Notify me as soon as the helicopter touches down." Malus spoke with authority and purpose.

"Will do Emperor, Dielk out."

And with that the council chambers fell silent once more and Malus returned to the papers he had prepared in front of him.

As the Helicopter touched down Dram and his advisors walked out looking about at the grandoise landscape. "Lamehk is a very beautiful land is it not?"

"Yes Sir it is."

"Glad we reached safely. Now we'll wait for the fighter pilots to land and thank them personally."

"Yes Sir. I'll pull out the cheque book"

They waited by the chopper as the sound of the allied fighters echoed from the sky.

EDIT: Sorry for not replying earlier, I've been real busy with either work or uni.

"Sir the Nehehkaran Jet has just touched down at Hotek airport." General Dielk entered the council chambers and addressed Emperor Malus who was finishing up with his review of the papers for the Meeting. "Their transport is taking off as we speak and they should be arriving very shortly."

"Excellent," Malus stood from his seat and headed to the door where the General was standing, "Have we heard back from Khalek yet?"

"No Sir although the Yallakian fleet has just arrived at the south island so he may be unable to attended the meeting or at lest a large portion of it dependant on how the transfer proceeds." Dielk reported formally though he wondered if Khalek's absence was part of Malus' engineering.

"No matter," Malus stated ignoring the look of understanding in Dielk's eyes, " As long as yourself and Hetal are present I am sure the meeting will run smoothly."

With that Malus exited the council chamber and began walking briskly to the helipad where the transport helicopter was now taking off once more leaving GateLord Dram and his personnel safely on the ground.

Malus increased his pace and General Dielk followed close behind. Reaching the helipad Malus extended his hand in greeting.

"Greetings to you GateLord Dram, please follow me into the council chambers we have much to discuss." Malus shook hands with GateLord Dram before turning quickly and proceeding back to the council chambers.

"Indeed Emperor Malus, we do have much to discuss. I am glad to have the pleasure of experiencing your fine hospitality firt hand, I was impressed by your land's vastness upon my landing."

The rest of GateLord Dram's personnel followed behind him as they entered the Council Chambers. The first thing that struck Dram as he entered was that Lamehk seemed more organised - not surprising as they have been around a while longer. The second thing that struck him is that the Lamehkian Council Chambers were much nicer and grandoise then the Nehehkarian.

He turned to his Trade Advisor who promptly listened. "I want my shabble of a council to be as grandoise as this place. It is unfitting if they have to walk in that standing pile of rubble in the future." His Trade Advisor nodded and scribbled something in his notebook.

"So dear Emperor Malus, let us begin the pleasantries of Economic and Trade discussions, lest to forget Millitary agreements" After finishing he smiled at Malus to indicate friendliness in his words. The two nations did after all have an unpleasant encounter in the past.

"Excellent, please take a seat," Malus offered Darm a seat to his right before taking his own. "I am sorry to say the Khalek will not be able to join us as he is preoccupied dealing with Yallak." Malus stopped here. The meeting could end right now if this crucial factor did not work out.

"Speaking of Yallak I do not believe that your government was aware of our recent alliance. The Armed Republic of Lamehk is now a Protectorate of the Infinite Empire and as such we can not engage in any other alliances without the consent from the other party as is stated in our agreement."

Once again Malus stopped he hoped this next stage would go smoothly.

"Now do not worry about that at this stage. I am sure that The Infinite Empire knows of your request to meet with us as one of Yallak's diplomats was hear when Cyrus approached unannounced. I apologise for the extra precautions that were I place but I ensure you that the same precautions are taken for all foreign diplomats that are invited to our shores.'

Malus was beginning to worry, though externally he retained his composure. He had just broached the two most important issues that this meeting was going to discuss and the Nehehkaran's had not even become comfortable. Though there was some plan to his method. With the two hottest topics now in the open Malus was sure that, once resolved, the meeting could proceed without conflict.

"But do not worry. I will have a message sent to them informing them of our meeting and I am fairly certain that they shall approve of your induction. Now before we get straight down to business is there anything that you would like to put forward?"


To : The Infinite Empire of Yallak
From: The Armed republic of Lamehk

I wish to inform you that we have begun negotiations with Nehehkara and in keeping with our agreement wish to receive your support on further trade agreements. You are most welcome to join us here or simply inform me of a decision via a message.

Signed
Emperor Malus.

A single drop of sweat rolled down Dram's cheek. He was worried that Lamehk might still be on bad terms in reagrds to Cyrus, but it seemed that this was not the case. Dram hesitated before replying.

"Ahh yes, the issue with Cyrus. I am sure both our nations would benefit if we forgot about that little incident." Dram was smiling with a nervous smile as he said that. He then turned to his Trade Advisor and indicated for him to come forward.

As his Trade Advisor approached it became evident that he was holding something. He passed it to GateLord Dram who inspected it. After a moments inspection Dram seemed satisfied and offered the object to Emperor Malus. As Dram extended his arm it became obvious what the object was - a cheque to a total sum of 5 billion Chaos Marks. Upon fully extending his arm he stated "This is a cheque from Nehehkara to Lamehk in gratitude for your assistance in the skies when we were in our moment of peril." He hoped it was enough.

"In regards to Lamehk being part of the Infinite Empire, I would like to assure you that Nehehkara is also part of the Infinite Empire and thus I doubt there will be any problems." He let out a light sigh of relief before continuing - he was glad to get that off his chest. "As for Trade discussions and Military agreements, I am sure we can come to a conclusion that will benefit both Lamehk as well as Nehehkara. In turn the Infinite Empire will also benefit as a whole due to our increased productivity." He thought for a moment, but was interupted by his Trade Advisor who handed him a scroll marked 'TOP SECRET'. Dram nodded and his Trade Advisor returned to his seat. He then turned to Malus. "Emperor Malus, as a sign of friendship and in hopes of an Alliance I wish to present you with blueprints to a newly invented weapon of Nehehkara. It is ordinary in appearance, much like a conventional bomb, however it has a destructive power greatly times that. It uses the principle of Bose-Einstein Condensation to create a super-cooled mass of Rubidium-85. Once this mass of the isotope reaches a temperature close to absolute zero it activates a strong magnetic field which makes the atoms attract and thus collapse to create a small-scale supernova. This power was recently harnessed by our leading scientists who have managed to thus create a bomb which has the power of a 15 megaton nuclear bomb, but without the radiation. This bomb has the ability to level a city in a catastrophic implosion, in which some of the city disappears completely." This was the crucial part, the need. "Now to the business side of it. Unfortunately we do not have a large enough budget to allow mass-scale research on such a weapon, however, if Nehehkara and Lamehk worked together on this project then we could create such a wepon and help keep the Infinite Empire's Armoury filled with strong weaponry which would keep our foes at bay." Dram then opened the scroll to show Malus. He then pointed to the bottom of the scroll, which held a photograph. "As you can see, this a photograph of the sheer destruction a small-scale bomb of this type is capable of." The photo was of a desert and on it could clearly be seen what could only be described as an impact crater. "The crater in the center of the photograph is the repercussion of the bomb, or the post-implosion explosion. If observed closely it is evident that the crater is missing about a third of it's material. This is the most important strength of this weapon." He hoped this was the winning line. "If this type of force were to be developed further, it may be possible to create a bomb which will completely remove a large installation, such as a bunker system. As I mentioned before, this technology would be presented to the Infinite Empire for collective beneficiary use. Please consider our offer, as this technology is only at it's birth. Were we to let it flourish, so should our nations and the Infinite Empire, it is after all for the collective goal." He wanted to add 'Pretty Much Basically' but thought it too informal. He has'nt had a chance to use his nation's motto yet.

Internally Malus defused relaxing completely once more. His gamble had paid off and he was glad to see that the Nehehkarans were willing to put past incidents behind them and move on to a mutually beneficial future.

"What you have said pleases me greatly GateLord Dram," Malus now took the picture of the weapons test and the cheque off GateLord Dram. "If what you say is true about this new weapon and the status of Nehehkara as a protectorate then Lamehk would be greatly interested in helping in anyway possible."

Looking at the picture and the cheque once more Malus handed both back to GateLord Dram.

"Consider the amount a mutual fund for further development. Of cause once Lamehk and Nehehkara have traded information on the weapons full diagnostic and a product evaluation determining cost effectiveness can be preformed further funding can be arranged."

Malus paused for a moment before continuing. "I would still however like to hear from Yallak before I commit to any weapons research. Yallak's funding and facilities far out way our own and if they are willing to participate any help we can provide on those levels would become obsolete."

"Now, moving on to trade." Malus was eager to get off the subject of weapons development, as he feared that recent tests in Yallak might have, inadvertently, placed Lamehk in greater harm. Although he was quite sure that the tests would pay for the heightened tension he was not so certain about this one. "As you may or may not know Lamehk is rich in natural Uranium deposits. Is your nation at all interested in a supply of uranium?"

GetLord Dram was pleased with the way the weapon proposal went through. Then he focused his mind to the task at hand - trade.

"You are too generous Emperor Malus. In regards to Uranium, it would be of great use to Nehehkara if we could get a steady supply of Uranium as most of our power plants run on Nuclear Power. I am sure we can come to a price agreement in the case of Uranium.

Nehehkara also have goods to offer, mostly in the industrial sector. Nehehkara produces the most technically advanced tools in the industry. My Trade Advisor can cover the details."

His Trade Advisor then proceeded to show Malus a list of all the Industrial goods that Nehehkara produces. When he finished, GateLord Dram resumed.

"As you can see we produce many useful items, hopefully much of which you would benefit from using."

GateLord Dram then awaited Malus' response...

Malus scanned the document the Nehehkaran Trade Adviser produced before handing it over to his own trade adviser Hetal.

"Hetal make a note of the items required by Lamehk that appear on the list," then turning back to GateLord Dram he proceeded, "Trade shall begin immediately and our waters will be open to all of your vessels. If any require re-supplying upon arrival it shale be provided free of charge also seeing as you appear to be within the Infinite Empire you shale benefit from the removal of tariffs on all of your goods."

Malus smiled to GateLord Dram, although Lamehk was rich in Uranium there were many other natural resources that were lacking in supply.

"Is there any other business you wish to put forward?" Malus was happy with the proceedings so far and was prepared to make further agreements if the Nehehkarans were willing, however he did not wish to push the point and assumed it wise not to hurry diplomacy. "If that is all you wish to discuss I ask that you stay at one of our many luxury resorts until we hear from Yallak."

GateLord Dram was astounded by the diplomatic abilities of Emperor Malus and also felt it was not a good idea to push diplomacy.

"Wonderful! I forsee a great relationship between our two nations, dear Emperor Malus. Our nation shall remove all tariffs from your goods also."

GateLord Dram thought for a moment and then continued...

"Nothing more comes to mind at this point which would warrant discussion, but if there is anything your Emperorship wishes to discuss, I would be happy to oblige. But if you wish to discuss no more then I shall happily take residence in one of Lamehk's fine Hotels. If there are any in particular that your Emperorship finds of the finest quality I would thoroughly enjoy staying there for the duration of my visit to Lamehk."

GateLord Dram was tired, this was obvious. He did'nt want to let out a ywan as that would be unforgivably rude and held it in instead. His eyes were glassy and there were rings beneath his eyes. But it seemed he truly did enjoy talking to Emperor Malus, he saw something within him that piqued his interest and wanted to keep talking as friends. He hoped that their two nations would become allies, and it seemed this was going along the correct path. But his physical limitation of the need to sleep finally caught up and his Trade Advisor had to keep GateLord Dram awake by either a light prod or a gentle cough.

"Oh, and Emperor Malus, I would enjoy it if I could take a tour of your wonderful lands, it is almost as if the grass is greener here." He smiled and waited for what Malus had to say about it all...

"Yes that shall be all GateLord Dram", Emperor Malus could see that his guest was tiering.

He too was getting weary of although it was no fault of his guests. “You shale be staying in the gest quarter of the palace. In the morning a helicopter and one of my personal assistance shale be placed at your disposal. Feel free to travel where you like as the pilot has been supplied with all the necessary clearance to provide you with a full tour.” Malus stood and gestured to his counterpart to do likewise.

“I shall have you informed of Yallak’s reply when it comes through. Until then Lamehk and its people is at your service. Feel free to stay as long as is required or equally you can leave when ever you desire a your personal transport shall be fuelled and prepped for take off at all times while you are our gest.”

Malus headed to the council door and held it open for GateLord Dram and his advisor. Beyond in the darkened night sky the glowing lights of a helicopter could be seen as it prepped for take off.