NationStates Jolt Archive

A theater, somewhere in Vetalia

As the light dimmed and the packed theater quieted, the screen lit up and then flashed to the logo of VUN. It showed a globe with the company's satellites whizzing around the planet broadcasting their signals to transponders around the planet. Newsreels were seemingly outdated in the rest of the world but the strange retro-futurism of Vetalian culture ensured that their high-tech descendants would remain even at such an advanced stage in the country's history.

"We would like to take this moment to fill in our citizens with the latest wonderful news from the international front. Just this week, the Praetor of Vetalia announced that he would be holding a meeting with the leadership of New Manth to discuss the creation of an even stronger bilateral alliance with our closest neighbor."

"Issues to be discussed at this meeting will be defensive cooperation, political coordination between our governments and the construction of standardized infrastructure between our nations to ensure that our forces can respond without delay in the event of foreign invasion. The Praetor has assured the Senate that this meeting will be productive and will ensure a new era of Vetalian-New Manthian relations."

"This concludes the VUN Newsreel for the week. Enjoy your film, and remember: Help the Ministry of Defense help you! Report all suspicious activities to your local department of the National Police Force!"
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Ministry of State

The Vetalian government would like to cordially invite the leadership of New Manth to our country for negotiation of the proposed bilateral defense pact between our two nations in Vetalia City. We will provide accommodations at the Praetorial Palace as well as vehicles and security in addition to whatever your delegates bring. Enclosed is the requested information as well as your Vetalian diplomatic visas for entry in to the country.

We hope this will be a productive meeting,
Regards,
Valerian Kosyachenko

Denomination of Foreign Diplomacy

--The Denomination advises the Ministry of State to expect a visit from Cmdrs. Halys Reisschart and Saad al-Baradei, accompanied by Representative Zakharia Hamed, general secretary of the UCPLC War Committee.--



Two days passed before everything was in order for the trip, the necessary plans were made ahead of time and the Manthians hashed out beforehand what their goals in the coming meeting would be, and what they could ask of and offer the Vetalians. And of course, there was the matter of arranging the transportation.

No trains or little private jets for the Manthians - they came by air, and in style. The six hundred foot SuC-1 Stormbringer could normally bring a staggering 2,000 soldiers plus vehicles to battle per trip, but this time only a small number of staffers were on board. The aircraft was a symbol of Manthian military might in a nation that could pride itself on its military and its industry and not much else.

Of course, it was a foreign model, from Space Union. The same was true of much of New Manth's military. They simply couldn't afford to maintain a military as massive as they did and still shell out regularly for domestic R&D. That was one reason an alliance with the technological Vetalians was so appealing.

The pilot brought the plane down slowly, but even so it took one and a half kilometers to roll to a halt. Inside, Saad al-Baradei stretched, set down his cup of Turkish coffee, and stood, joining the rest of the Manthian delegation slowly filtering out of the belly of the beast.

"Well, we are here." he remarked to no one in particular. "Let us see what the Vetalians have to say."

From the sky, Vetalia City was a massive, dense coastal city laid out in a neat grid pattern along the shining waters of the West African coastline. Its tall towers reached upward, a testament to the country's economic prowess under the leadership of the powerfully capitalist Melnikov regime. However, as the plane landed it was hard not to notice the checkpoints at every highway, the heavily armed police walking the streets, AA guns and SAM batteries circling the city or the huge factories under construction on the outskirts of town. Near the airport was a slum, packed full of people displaced due to the economic inequality of the new economic system.

As the plane approached, the honor guard assigned to the delegation marched out in lockstep, banners and flags held primly in to the sky. Dressed in the black color of the Praetorial Guard, they were some of the finest troops in the country designated specifically for the security of the Praetor and other key staff. Once the plane had stopped, they began playing the New Manthian anthem as the Praetor, his Minister of State, Minister of Defense, and the three heads of the Armed Forces approached the plane. Behind them, a series of limousines pulled up for transport away from the airport to the meeting place.

The officers exchanged greetings with the New Manthian Commanders while the Praetor extended his hand to the Representative and spoke. "I'm honored you were able to attend this meeting today. I'll have the staff load your luggage in to the limousines and then we will travel together to the Palace. The meeting will be held tonight, after you have had time to rest and prepare."

Hamed, a formal man by habit and ex-military himself, stood out to greet the Praetor as staffers continued to file out behind him. He made sure to smile for a propaganda shot as he shook the man's hand.

"The Vetalian people are gracious hosts. It is our honor to visit the magnificent Vetalia City, and I am sure that our stay will be a most fruitful one for both our nations."

He allowed the Praetor to lead him over to one of the limousines.

OOC: I'll be going to bed after this post but I'll bump it tomorrow.

The limousines departed the airport and headed along the nearest highway towards the palace. They were able to pass through the checkpoints without stopping and were soon traveling through the heart of the central business district. Massive, towering skyscrapers in various stages of construction and operation rose above the highway while the Italianate stylings of government buildings provided a counterpoint to the modern architecture. Parks, monuments, and all the trappings of urban life passed by outside, basking in the heat of midday.

However, again, things were not quite right. The police were out, as stern and militarized as the ones in other parts of the town, and between the patriotic banners and other decorations were posters, some with a decidedly authoritarian bent. Some were cariactures of Cazelian and ViZion leaders, others bore slogans such as "Don't Wonder, Report!" and "Even A Friend Can Be a Spy" while others advertised for the armed forces. A few posters even showed Vetalian territory expanded to all of Cazelia and sub-Saharan Africa.

As the limousines approached their destination, they slowed for a final security checkpoint and were cleared to enter the Government Quarter. The Praetorial Palace (IRL: the Caserta Palace in Naples) grew closer as the limousines passed through the security gates to the palace zone, eventually arriving at the facility after a long drive through its gardens. A smaller honor guard comprised of the palace security waited for the delegates while house staff were at post to serve them.

Stepping out, the Praetor said "Well, we're here. Apologies for the informality, but we want you and your staff to be as ready as possible for negotiations. For security reasons, we would prefer you stay at the palace, although alternative accommodations are available if needed. Either way, you will have time to refresh yourselves prior to dinner and the negotiations. The palace staff will lead you to each of your rooms and will bring any luggage you may need with them."

Bump for New Manth.

Travelers with a different background, or a different purpose, might have found the atmosphere in Vetalia City oppressive. To these products of the Manthian military tradition, however, it was reassuring. It showed that Vetalia wasn't just pursuing a pipe dream that would fall apart when confronted with serious resistance. It showed that they meant business, that they were prepared to buckle down and to make the sacrifices - including the sacrifices of the civil liberties enjoyed in peacetime - that would be necessary if those propaganda posters from before were to become a reality. It showed, in short, that the Vetalians would be a powerful ally.

Hamed chatted a little with the driver along the way, remarking on the Vetalian architecture and the palace gardens as they passed. Occasionally he stle a glance back to the car behind his, where al-Baradei and Reisschart were riding together. Representative Hamed might have been the official leader of the expedition, but he knew as well as anyone that the real power lay with the two military men.

He thanked the driver as the car pulled up, stepped out, and smiled for another picture with the Praetor.

"Thank you for your hospitality. As you suggest, I believe it would be easier if we remained at the palace."

Hamed turned to an aide.

"Please bring my bags. We should not keep our hosts waiting."

The Manthians quickly settled into their rooms, gathering to hold a last quick internal meeting before dinner, and the official negotiations, would begin.

The dinner was uneventful, even peaceful by Vetalian standards. Word of the invasion of Cazelia would not be known at least for another few days thanks to information suppression by the government, and the country was at peace with its allies. As a result, discussion centered mainly on mundane and trivial topics and the upcoming negotiations were hardly mentioned. Later that evening, both sides gathered in the Central Meeting Chamber to discuss the treaty in as informal a setting as possible.

Laying out documents detailing the composition of Vetalian forces and economic strength, the Minister of State deferred to New Manth, asking them to take the lead in proposing the terms of the agreement. The Vetalian government would provide comment and suggestion, but would allow them to lead to reduce the possibility of pressure from their side.

The Manthian's starting position would probably be a bit more conservative than the Praetor was looking for. Mutual defense, military intelligence sharing, customs union, etc cetera - the meat and bones of a very close alliance, but there was nothing in there about Vetalian influence on the Manthian civil government or Manthian military subordination to Vetalian commanders. Of course, as in any negotiations, the Manthians had intentionally left themselves some extra room for compromise.

The most interesting parts of the Manthian proposal, however, dealt with the ViZionians. Cazelia itself was no concern of Manth's, but ViZion, on the other hand... Manth needed to expand to secure living space for the burgeoning population, or so its leaders claimed. But should it do so unilaterally, there was a very real chance that the Manthians would run into the same roadblock as the Vetalians, a strong ViZionian state to the south which would not be pleased to see the Manthians gobbling up African territories. Manth had probably only escaped a confrontation over Israelkistan so far because the ViZionians were more worried about the Vetalian buildup.

So in the event of either state going to war with ViZion, Manthian commanders were prepared to offer substantial assistance to Vetalia to knock out their southern neighbor. A small attack into Saudi Arabia to distract the ViZionians and their allies, and to secure the abundant Saudi oil reserves, would be followed by a massive blitz by the combined forces through central Africa and into the ViZionian heartland. Meanwhile, allied naval forces would prevent reinforcements from reaching the ViZionians.

Or at least that was what Manthian military planners had come up with so far.

Meanwhile, the lower aides were also sharing data with their Vetalian counterparts. It would be their job to see to the little details once the larger agreement got hammered out - anything from standardizing rail gauges between both nations to the details of the proposed customs union, whose laws would apply to whose citizens when in whose nation, et cetera.

"We agree that New Manthian troops should move to secure the Arabian peninsula, as we can not only safely extract the oil supplies but also interdict any shipping through the Suez Canal at our leisure. ANL controls the Panama Canal, but we can just as easily send forces through the much more secure Pacific and avoid the situation altogether.

In regard to the situation with ViZion, expansion in to the region will not be as difficult as previously imagined. In the event of conflict, our mutual forces can push south while our Maldorian allies push from the west and up through the tip of Africa to hit the ViZonians from the rear. With British Londinium, Amazonian Beasts and Red Tide in the Pacific, our supremacy there is unchallenged. They will be able to push from the east and render those forces irrelevant.

For fear of sounding overconfident, we will be summering in Vitalita next year. From there, it will not be difficult to work out the bisection of the ViZonian and Omnian territories...and we will have a unified front to face the remaining opposition in the Americas. Vetalian Cazelia will serve as our furthest front on the Pacific as well as create a unified front with Steel and Fire."

"I'll drink to that." said al-Baradei.

Reisschart nodded.

"Indeed, I see little which can challenge either of us for dominance of the African continent or the Middle East. In addition to these fronts, Manth also can contribute troops to Cazelia if needed, though it seems things will be well in hand there, or perhaps to destroy the Dunerians if they become troublesome. The staff will provide you with the Denomination of Strategy's precise estimates as to what New Manth will be able to contribute initially to any given theatre, but I have with me here the latest general numbers published by the Denomination and the War Committee, which provide a good estimate of Manthian strength in toto."

He slid a few papers across the table.

"Yes, Cazelia is in very good shape, and has in fact improved significantly. We are protected by Red Tide and the Amazonians by sea, and our allies in Steel and Fire and Buddha C anchor the east from troublemaking by ANL or TLA. Our forces may be able to not only overrun Cazelia but also take over Duneria and TLA's Alaska claim without difficulty. We may transfer another 3 million troops there soon for use against ANL, as securing their territory would give us control of the Panama canal and make TLA vulnerable."

"Once we have control of the Americas, there will be no significant opposition to our forces on the continent. ViZion has some heavy hitting forces on their side, but the recent commitment of Corneliu to our side provides us with nearly seven billion additional people on our side. The balance is clearly in our favor, at least for now."

"We won't need forces in Cazelia...we'd prefer your forces provide security to our interests in Africa. ViZion's main allies are clustered there, and we may be vulnerable if we over commit to the region."

"With this information, I believe we are of one mind as regards our military strategy." Hamed interjected. "Further details can be worked out between our respective military commands. Before we proceed to signing a formal treaty, are there any major factors you would like to cover that haven't been discussed already?"

"None at all. We will be moving forward with actions on the continent soon and it would be best to have all preconditions finalized."

Hamed nodded.

"Excellent. I'll make arrangements for our copy to be drawn up formally. We can do the signing tomorrow morning to let the photographers get a good bite of it, and then it's done with talking and down to business."

He grinned. Perhaps it was optimistic, but Hamed really did think that nothing could stand before them in Africa. The Americas would be a tougher nut to crack, but once ViZion fell...

"Wonderful. Things are moving forward nicely, even more so than we previously predicted."

"It's been a pleasure, sir. A drink to our success, before we go."

The Palace, the next morning

Hamed allowed a few more shots to be taken of himself and the Praetor together before the signing. Producing a large black pen, he affixed his signature to the document which had been placed before him, just underneath the stylized lion that was the state symbol of Manth.

Of course what he was signing was just a formality, a public statement of goodwill and the bright future that awaited the two allies as well as a list of some of the less secret agreements. Many of the terms of the full treaty itself, especially the military protocols, were far too sensitive to release to the public, and the actual, binding version had been hashed out the previous night and sent to the UCPLC for ratification, where in a closed session the legislators would soon be asked to vote on a treaty without being allowed to read most of the more sensitive parts.

In a testimony to the influence of the military over all aspects of Manthian society, the treaty was ratified by a vote of 142 to 0, with four legislators absent.

OOC: It would be in the palace, which is more or less the seat of government

With a row of top military advisors behind him, the Praetor shook the hands of the officials and used a formal signing pen, made of ebony and inlaid with gold tracing out the motto and seal of Vetalia, to finalize the agreement between the two states.

The national anthem of New Manth was played first as a sign of respect, and the ceremony was to be closed with a formal dinner at the palace. In the morning, the delegates would be sent home to New Manth by electric train, both due to its luxurious accommodations as well as symbolically showing the implementation of the treaty...when they reached the border, there would be no stop at the checkpoint and they would be whisked away to the capitol without hassle.

Since the Senate was mostly a rubber-stamp these days, it was passed unanimously 234-0 and the law would be brought in to effect at the start of next month.