NationStates Jolt Archive

Stepanov's private jet followed by four Mish-11PVVS Archangel fighters flying in the square formation took off from the Yarkutsk airport. Less than an hour later the jets have been ordered to return to their base, Stepanov's plane landed on Zhongnanhai airstrip. From where the car took him to the Premier's residence.

Premier Zhao was enjoying all the 'cloak-and-dagger', as he called it. Dictator Stepanov of the Russian Dictatorial Union had flown in for some very low-key discussions, bypassing the usual pomp and circumstance that would normally be afforded to a visiting head of state. Still, it was his choice, and Premier Zhao had assumed that there was some secret agenda behind it all.

As the Dictator's car arrived, Zhao strode confidently out to greet him, extending his hand.

"Dictator Stepanov, welcome to the United Eastasian Republic! Please, come inside. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Stepanov shook his head and followed him inside.

"Where are many things to discuss but I will not hide it from you my visit has a lot to do with the current TOA situation."

"I see. Well, as I am sure you know, I recently played host to the Emperor of Layarteb and the Prime Minister of Cotland; they both seemed very agreeable. To what aspect of the 'current situation' are you referring?"

"I am sure you well know that for the past several decades TOA has been the primal power in the world. They have grip on all the world events, they have the force to conquer any single nation on the planet. Than the VCO was created in an attempt to balance out the power of TOA, however the organization was sadly unsuccessful. After that many things have happened but the primal one was complete elimination of my nation. All we are now are but refugees, even though we managed to gain control over the areas currently in our position. We have waited too long, we did not act and as a result we suffered. Same can happen to anyone, even to your glorious Republic. TOA is composed of nations bent on nothing else but pure imperialistic expansion, as I know your ideology denounces that. At some point in the future the TOA will become hostile to your nation, if not 10 than 20 years from now. That is their nature, it can not be escaped. As we speak my homeland is being raped by Cots, the people who stayed were put in nothing more than a concentration camp. We have no choice , to protect our sovereignty and our people we will have to engage Cotland and because of that the rest of the TOA. We already have other supporters, we will not enter alone but it would aid us greatly if you were at our side. Think of what will happen if we are successful, we will change the world order, the TOA will finally have a force that will counterbalance it finally bringing stability to this world. So when the talk will end and the guns start firing, will you aid us in this fight? For peace, for the sake of humanity?"

Zhao stopped in his tracks.

"If, and that is a big if, the October Alliance were to attack the UER, they would be walking into a meat-grinder. The same goes for anyone who attempts to invade us, we have built this Republic on a foundation of unity, stability and security; our people are better off under the UER than they ever were before. We are a superpower, through size, population, military strength, economics; you name it, the UER is a powerhouse in any regard. Of course, you already know that or you wouldn't be here courting us.

Before I commit my nation to anything, I will need to know a few things. Who are your other supporters? If we did commit to your side, we would need to have assurances that the other powers are reliable. We do not wish to have our forces marching against TOA while our 'allies' plot and scheme to dismember the Republic. How will the coalition be held together? What if it falls apart? If we banded together and displaced the October Alliance, we would need unity; a cobbled-together group of disparate nations does not lend itself to such an idea."

"We know for certain that Nerotika and Tyrandis will be on our side. Kreynoria and Psychotika are very interested, I will have talks with them after I leave here. Kreynoria has let us know that he will attempt to persuade all of the Pacifician alliance. That should be a sizable force already, with your support it will be overwhelming. As for the rest of your questions, I believe that all of the possible candidates should have a meeting to figure out the matters of loyalty. However as you know Nerotika and Tyrandis both have reasons for why they should fight against TOA, so does the Pacifician Alliance to a smaller degree. If you agree to come to a meeting with all the possible allies this will be discussed further."

"Well, as you should already know, the UER is a member of the Pacifinesian Alliance. If you give us more details about this summit then I shall consider sending a representative; there is no harm in hearing your objectives, after all. Please keep in mind that this is not a pledge of support; you are asking me to put the UER at risk, and I cannot do that on my own. Not that I ever would do that on my own. I would have to consult my cabinet, both legislative houses and the military Central Command; I would need a firm agreement from all of them before the UER joins any such coalition, but even then, if I was not satisified then I would not do it.

If the UER does not join you, then we would expect a firm guarantee from your coalition that we are not under threat for staying neutral. We would of course continue to trade with all of our regular trading partners, the October Alliance included. You are asking us to jeopardise a great deal; we would want something tangible for siding with you. Make the reward worth the risk, for at the moment all I see is a coalition which may well collapse due to internal ego. If the coalition were victorious and then fell apart, the October Alliance would still be the dominant force in the world, only this time more united through struggle while looking for payback on all those who assaulted them."

"Of course I see your side of this completely. If you stay neutral at the very least RDU will not attempt any hostilities towards you. The summit will be a secret meeting of sorts where those interested will either be shown to be loyal or unsure, in which case they will not be allowed to join the pact. We will all also share our reasons for going to war in an attempt to find one that unifies us all. You are very welcome to send your representative."

"That will be most acceptable. I appreciate the promise of the RDU to respect any potential neutrality on our part; we would of course expect similar guarantees from all coalition members if we choose to remain neutral in this dispute. Any further concerns we have can wait until the summit, where my representative shall be present.....just as long as it is understood that the United Eastasian Republic still requires some convincing."

"Very well than, I am afraid I must depart. Hopefully after all of this is over me and you can speak about less monstrous matters. Once the war is won and the peace is long lasting I would like to talk to you about ways of making both our nations prosper even more than they do today. It is a pity that millions have to die for the world to have stability, a real pity. We are not warmongers you know, our people are suffering, we have no choice."

His face hardened, the void of sadness and inevitability flashed in his eyes as he imagined what his people will have to go through to win this struggle. He lowered his voice.

"I would like to leave today as a friend, know this, no matter what happens in the future Russian people will consider Eurasians they're comrades."

Igor extended a handshake to the emperor.

Premier Zhao shook Stepanov's hand and smiled.

"The Eastasian people will always regard the Russians as friends and comrades. I wish you the very best in all things, whether we stand side-by-side on the battlefield or not. I am confident that the outcome will be a favourable one.

Have a safe trip home, and always be prosperous."

Igor left the room, a car took him back to his private jet, many things needed to be done.