NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Kirav, if you want to participate in this thread, you'll have to RP your way into the situation, like always.

IC: A message had been broadcast to the world, and one of the places that it ended up was on the desk of Lamonian President Stinson.

This is how it read:

JOINT DECLARATION BY PARLIAMENT AND THE MONAVIAN IMPERIAL MONARCHY


The government of the Imperial Federation of the Monavian Empire wishes to establish contact in any and all forms with foreign nations. By a joint declaration by Parliament and the King and Queen, the government and citizens of the Monavian Empire have expressed a desire in recent times to meet with and establish formal contact and relations with foreign nations. The government and people of this nation have decided that after some deliberation, that the establishment of contact and relations with other nations shall be a part of this nation’s new agenda for the future.

Because of the various challenges raised by attempting to find contact with other nations, a web site was created and placed on the global Internet to show other nations this nation and its people. We the people and government officials of the Monavian Empire do by these presents wish that foreign nations will send us their contact and information so that international relations may be established. It is therefore decided that this nation will send this message to all nations of the world for their examination and judgment. They may choose how they wish to think of this, and act upon it.

It is therefore decided by this joint declaration and resolution that a diplomatic contact message shall be sent out to all nations so that they may know of us and contact us.

Executed by order of Parliament and the Monarchs, this twenty-seventh day of October, 2007.

Signed,

His Holy Imperial Majesty Charles IX
Her Holy Imperial Majesty Elizabeth VI
His Excellency Richard Hanover II
The Most Honorable Thomas Vanderbilt
The Honorable Elena Crocker
His Supreme Honor William Franklin
Her Honor Agatha Stockton

Attest, Secretary Richard Jackson

---

When he was done reading it, President Andrew Stinson was amazed at the sheer courage that such a message represented. They were sending it to all the nations in the world, both the democratic 'good' nations, and the Draconian evil nations like Doomingsland. Nations had been invaded for less.

Impressed by such courage, President Stinson had a reply message prepared and sent.

To: Imperial Federation of the Monavian Empire, His Holy Imperial Majesty Charles IX
From: Free Republic of Lamoni, President Stinson

Greetings from the Free Republic. We were impressed by the courage and tenacity that were displayed in your message to the rest of the world. I have received and viewed your message, and the Free Republic is most interested in establishing diplomatic relations with your nation; with an embassy exchange (OOC: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=543926 ) , and (with your permission) a state visit by myself, General-Colonel Nathan Savage of the Lamonian Army, and Lamonian Foreign Minister Tanya Ley.

We sincerely await the pleasure of a reply,

President Andrew Stinson,
Free Republic of Lamoni

To His Excellency the Most Generous President Andrew Stinson

I wish for you to come to the Monavian Empire when you can do so in a leisurely fashion. It has been a long while since any foreigners have visited the Monavian Empire, and it is therefore a great honor to allow you to visit us.

I am sending travel information to you now via a fax machine and an electronis mail system. The Foreign Ministry will also be sending some mail.

I am most personally flattered by your compliments of courage and tenacity. Know that the Monavain Empire is ready to declare itself a world power, and will happily support diplomatic realtions with you and your country.

Signed,

His Holy Imperial Majesty Charles IX, King of the Imperial Federation of the Monavian Empire.

[insert seal]

After the both sides had sent several transmissions to each other, the three person diplomatic team's aircraft roared off the runway of Government AFB in Nephi, Lamoni. They were on their way to Monavia, where they would start the process of building diplomatic relations; while the plane was guarded by it's normal F-22H Fighter-Bomber escorts.

While in the air, the three studied all the information that was available on Monavia, and it appeared that LIA (Lamonian Intelligence Agency) had done a good job. While there was quite a lot of information in the briefings, most of it was worth the reading. Judging by the material, President Stone told the other two that the Free Republic would likely be able to get along with Monavia, but that only time would tell. The Foreign Minister was hopeful, but acting like the military man that he was, the General-Colonel was yet to be convinced.

When they eventually made it to Monavian airspace, they were relieved. Diplomats were supposed to pretend that they loved flying, but long trips were never fun.

bump

OUT OF CHARACTER:

Very good post. I like it. This post takes place right outside Monavia. If you want to know more about Monavia, look here: http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=543914&highlight=factbook+monavian+empire

IN CHARACTER:

The convoy of airplanes approached the airspace around Monavia. Approximately 200 miles outside of the the national border, a RADAR signal post detected the incoming airplanes. A transmission was sent to a nearby airbase, where they were told about the incoming planes.

"Flight Control, this is tower operator Atkins. Airplanes sighted. Atkins out."

A signal was then sent to the planes. "Unidentified aircraft, please state your business here."

Responding on the frequency used to challenge them, the military pilot of the Lamonian Presidential Plane responded, "This is LAF One, with President Andrew Stinson of the Free Republic of Lamoni onboard. We are on our way to the Imperial Federation of the Monavian Empire to meet with His Holy Imperial Majesty Charles IX, and the rest of the Monavian government. A flight plan was filed and sent before we lifted off, acknowledge."

After addressing the challenge, the pilot pressed a red button on the controls that brought Colonel-General Savage and President Stinson to the cockpit. Hopefully, their escorts wouldn't have to open fire on a putatively friendly nation's military.

The tower operator replied in an instant. "This is tower operator Atkins. Destination acknowledged." The plane continued into Monavian airspace for another ninety minutes. It was now about three hundred miles from Chalcedon.

Underneath the plane, there stretched a vast expanse of green forests. The forests were occasionally cut apart by narrow streams and rivers. There was a multitude of birds in the air and deer roamed freely across the plains that were mixed with the forests.

Stags, ducks, wild horses, eagles, and all manner of birds inhabited the woodlands around Chalcedon. While the capital had a population of nearly 11,000,000 people, and most of the cities in Monavia had seven figure populations, there were many small towns and even rural villiages in the countryside.

It was a shame that little could be viewed from the high altitudes that the plane traveled at, but at least the air was very clear and mostly free from pollution. As was such, Monavia had little pollution, wind power, solar energy, nuclear power plants, and hydroelectric dams powered most of the country. Water wheels that were attached to electric generators also supplied power to rural places.

The air was cloudy over the land to the area between Chalcedon and the plane. The city had almost no clouds over it, but a massive cloud bank was located on one side of the city.

The control tower sent a message to the Capital Transportation Bureau. There, the message was relayed to the airport. Stephen Mayfield International Airport was one of the largest in that portion of the world. It could handle any civilian plane, and many varieties of military ones.

A radio message was sent to the plane. "LAF One, this is the air traffic control tower at Stephen Mayfield International Airport. We await your arrival in one hour."

After politely acknowledging the information from Stephen Mayfield International Airport's tower, the pilot of the highly customized Boeing 747-200B continued on his heading. An hour later, they had arrived at the airport, and were into the descent. As was normal for the excellent pilots that got to fly LAF One, the landing was smooth. The F-22H escorts were now landing at their designated spaces, their pilots glad to have finally gotten to the end of this long flight.

The three person diplomatic team walked across the jetway to the airport after their Vremya Gaurds (OOC: Think US Secret Service) had cleared the way. More Vremya Gaurds would protect LAF One, as per standard operating procedure. Not being able to guess who exactly their welcoming committee would be, the three walked into the airport, with General-Colonel Savage and the Vremya Gaurds keeping their trained eyes on everyone.

As per the current protocals that were in place at the time, Mr. Farrington approached the delegation. He was accompanied by twelve members of the Royal Guard, and had along with him a large number of goernment officials that were interested in the state visit.

Fresh from the royal ball, the King and Queen came next, and arrived in a private limosine. They exited and allowed the Chancellor to arrive in tow. They all walked forward to the delegation. Mr. Farrington stepped aside and stood on one side by the guards, which had formed two rows of six guards each. The rows faced one another, and parted.

In between the two rows, the King, Queen, and Chancellor approached.

"President Stinson, I presume?" Queen Elizabeth asked.

"Thank you for the honor of remembering my name, your majesty. I am indeed President Stinson of the Free Republic of Lamoni," this came with a respectful bow to the queen," and with me are General-Colonel Savage of the Lamonian Army, and Foreign Minister Tanya Ley." Both of them bowed in turn. The three also bowed to the King, and President Stinson made a polite greeting to the monarch. With the Chancellor, President Stinson decided that he could shake his hand. "Mr. Chancellor, we are honored by your presence as well. If it is agreeable with your majesty," a respectful gesture was given to the King, "it is our wish to retire for the night after our long journey to your wonderful nation. We look forward to establishing diplomatic relations between our two great nations."

As provisions were being made for the storage of President Stinson's plane, the Royal Guard members filed onto an APC and were driven away. The King, Queen, Chancellor,. and the other officials got into their respective vehicles and drove away to the royal palace. President Stinson, General-Colonel Savage, and Foreign Minister Tanya Ley were ushered into the limosine that the King and Queen rode in.

They spoke much on the way to the palace. "All of your needed possessions will be transfered to a special suite in the palace by the domestic travel services. We have quarters prepared for you and the other delegation members." the chauffer interjected, while the other people in the limosine talked.

"President Stinson, I am most pleased by your offer to form diplomatic relations with us. We can meet tomorrow or the next day in the diplomatic reception room of the palace to discuss the way in which we form our diplomatic relations. Our Foreign Minister, Frank Carter, is away on business in the Empire of Neo-Ixania." King Charles said.

"If you want anything to eat or drink," the Queen said, "we have refreshments available in the front foyer."

The limosine proceeded to the gates of the palace. During the long transit there, the motorcade passed many tall skyscrapers, many of which were in excess of 1,500 feet tall. The center of Chalcedon has over forty buildings over 1,500 feet tall, and a dozen of them are over 1,900 feet tall. Their long shadows reached for well over a mile into the east.

The lavish palace was in the central district, set outside the cluster of commercial buildings that composed the very core of the city. The core was made of tall office buildings, and the government buildings formed a hollow square around it.

The motorcade entered the iron gates of the outer perimeter of the palace, and then went through a second set of gates. It came to a stop in a parking garage in one part of the building complex. A second motorcade had been reserved for any Vremya Guards that may have been needed at the palace.

"My delegation would like to thank your for your immense hospitality, your highness," President Stinson stated. "It is our opinion that these talks should be diplomatically smooth and painless. Why don't I tell you some things about the Free Republic? Our nation began as a group of refugees from many nations that joined together and formed their own nation. Over time, we moved from the Pacific regions, to a region known as B5Tech. When that region wound down after the war against Psipronia, we received an offer to be the UN Delegate nation for the region of Atlantian Oceania. We have stayed in AO since then, and have been a major player in the regional diplomatic scene. AO also has a regional soccer tournament; which we have won twice, and came in second by one goal in the last tournament. As part of a AO alliance of democracies and kingdoms, the Free Republic assisted The Lowland Clans in their war against Starblaydia and their autocratic allies. We currently have nearly thirty embassies from nations outside of AO, and we are always looking to expand our diplomatic relations with the nations of the world."

"Your decision to expand relations to foreign nations strikes me as both bold and courageous. I find that your history may be worth recording for the Monavian people to study." Queen Elizabeth answered.

"Miss Ley, will you tell me more about yourself?" Chancellor Hanover asked.

"Thank you, your highness," President Stinson replied. "The Lamonian people are proud of their history; and having created a nation from nothing is no small task. I think that the Lamonian people would also enjoy studying the history of your nation. Our nation boasts an excellent education system, and our people are bright and innovative."

While President Stinson was talking with the King and Queen, Miss Ley was talking with the Chancellor. "I am the youngest Foreign Minister in the history of the Free Republic at 40 years of age," she was warming to the Chancellor. "I normally work such long hours that I don't generally have time for much of a social or love life, but I once made the cover of Lamonian Life Magazine as the most attractive bachelorette in the Free Republic. To look at me, you might think that I haven't had to scrape and work my way up, but the opposite is true. I had to EARN every promotion that i've ever received in the Foreign Ministry, which I have enjoyed. What about you, Mr. Chancellor? I'm sure that there is an interesting story behind the man who is the elected head of your nation."

Bump

"Thank you, your highness," President Stinson replied. "The Lamonian people are proud of their history; and having created a nation from nothing is no small task. I think that the Lamonian people would also enjoy studying the history of your nation. Our nation boasts an excellent education system, and our people are bright and innovative."

While President Stinson was talking with the King and Queen, Miss Ley was talking with the Chancellor. "I am the youngest Foreign Minister in the history of the Free Republic at 40 years of age," she was warming to the Chancellor. "I normally work such long hours that I don't generally have time for much of a social or love life, but I once made the cover of Lamonian Life Magazine as the most attractive bachelorette in the Free Republic. To look at me, you might think that I haven't had to scrape and work my way up, but the opposite is true. I had to EARN every promotion that i've ever received in the Foreign Ministry, which I have enjoyed. What about you, Mr. Chancellor? I'm sure that there is an interesting story behind the man who is the elected head of your nation."

"My work as Chancellor began three years ago. I was forty-three years old. My wife of twenty-two years was a young student at a university in Cividale. She had written a book about economics, and was planning to run for Provincial Representative. Her work and the profits of the book paid for her election to a different position, that of city mayor.

"After a two year term, she stepped down and tried her luck at the Provincial level, which by a landslide, she was elected Representative. She stayed in the position for three terms, and after her six years were up, she thought that her career in politics would better be suited to the position of Provincial Senator.

"After a while passed, the previous chancellor, one Robert Hadley, stepped down after four terms in office. He was nearly sixty."

"What have you managed to accomplish as Chancellor?" The Foreign Minister was enjoying actually having the time to have a conversation with someone that didn't involve working out some diplomatic issue, even if that was the reason that they were there.

In the meantime, the limousine had reached the palace. Both President Stinson and Foreign Minister Ley were enjoying the conversation, and General-Colonel Savage was making enough conversation to be polite; but he had never been entirely comfortable at these high level diplomatic meetings. Give him a battlefield, and he could astound people with is brilliance. Put him in a room with diplomats, and he still did well, but didn't seem to fit in. With a soldier, you could expect honesty, and they would tell you if a conversational topic wasn't fit to talk about. Diplomats and heads of state were more... flexible in that regard.

"What have you managed to accomplish as Chancellor?" The Foreign Minister was enjoying actually having the time to have a conversation with someone that didn't involve working out some diplomatic issue, even if that was the reason that they were there.

In the meantime, the limousine had reached the palace. Both President Stinson and Foreign Minister Ley were enjoying the conversation, and General-Colonel Savage was making enough conversation to be polite; but he had never been entirely comfortable at these high level diplomatic meetings. Give him a battlefield, and he could astound people with is brilliance. Put him in a room with diplomats, and he still did well, but didn't seem to fit in. With a soldier, you could expect honesty, and they would tell you if a conversational topic wasn't fit to talk about. Diplomats and heads of state were more... flexible in that regard.

"My work as Chancellor revolved around maintaining the existing traditions and customs of the Monavian people. I have worked to pass legislation regarding foreign policy, and the King and Queen have both passed many of my new ideas into law.

"My advice to engage in missions to build diplomatic contact is a part of my work as a representative of the people to the monarchs. After all, I am like a vice president in a sense, I am below the King and Queen in power, and thus my role is primarily that of President of the Senate.

"Some moral issues have begun to appear in light of contemporary difficulties faced by many nations. I have done more in the Chancellorship than I had expected, and a list of my achievements and voting record is on file at the Parliament Building."

With this, he sighed from a sense of tiredness, and laid back in his seat. After waiting to carch his breath, he got out of the limosine, which had by that time parked, and began to walk to the palace. The King, Queen, and the Lamonian delegation then exited the vehicle and headed for the front doors. Chancellor Hanover then gave her a folder containig the following the following information: forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=543914 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=543914)

Upon entering the ornately decorated entrance hall, which was lined with paintings of famous events in the history of the Monavian Empire, King Charles turned to General-Colonel Savage. "So, what have you done in Lamoni during your military career?" he inquired.

"Your majesty," the military man replied, "I have been the head of the Lamonian Joint Chiefs of Staff for the last 2 years. Before that, I was the head of the Lamonian Military Intelligence Agency. Naturally, I can't tell anyone much about what that was like. During the war against the Strategic Alliance of Autocratic States, I was basically the man behind the scenes, doing whatever it took to help then Lt. General Hamsher to get the supplies he needed to help win that war along with our allies. If you want to go back to the start of my military career, I started out as a second lieutenant flying attack helicopters in the aviation branch of the Lamonian army. That was probably the part that I actually enjoyed the best, because you got to take your frustrations out on targets during exercises. In fact, I am still qualified in helicopters, but I normally only get to take one or two such flights a year. I was asked to come on this mission in case my military point of view was required, and to offer any explanations on Lamonian military strategy and equipment that might be needed. I also can explain any military conflict that the Free Republic has been a party to."

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"What of the war with the Strategic Alliance of Autocratic States?" asked the King. "Why did it happen, and what was it about?"

General-Colonel Savage prepared to tell the tale. "The AOWar began with the formation of two alliances. One was the Federation of Like Minded States (FLMS), and the other was the Strategic Alliance of Autocratic States. The FLMS was fragile, and broke apart months later. Out of the ashes of that alliance was formed the Strategic Defense League (SDL). The SDL was group of Democracies and Kingdoms that sought the democratic freedom of all the peoples of Atlantian Oceania. The SAAS was more interested in power, and the oppression of people. They also had the larger total population of the two alliances, but several of their members would only make rare appearances. That left two forces of roughly equal strength.

There was an arm's race between the military industries of Starblaydia, and the SDL's own Paladin Technologies. New weapons, and even new CLASSES of weapons were built. In my opinion, the best weapon created by Paladin Technologies was the Zimorodok Pseudo-Missile. This weapon was fired like a submarine launched ballistic missile, flew well into the atmosphere, received targeting information from a satellite or aircraft, flew towards the target ship; used explosive bolts to remove the outer casing and reveal the cruise missile part of the weapon. The cruise missile would then descend, swooping in on the target from above. This was to confuse anti-missile systems of the target ship, since most naval radars don't look directly up. The missile would then fly five miles AWAY from the target. Then more explosive bolts would fire, releasing the super-cavatating torpedo into the water, which would impact the target at 50 knots. It was a roundabout way to kill a ship, but it was also effective. The whole package had a range of 500 miles, and it was a way to reduce a numerically larger navy down to a more manageable size.

Along the way, the Starblaydi Lord-Protector, Tiberius Starblayde, was shot at by his own Intelligence Minister, who subsequently took over in Starblaydia. This made tensions between the SDL and SAAS ratchet up to the point where one spark set off a war.

It was claimed by Starblaydia that members of The Lowland Clan's Section 31 were sent to assassinate Lady-Protector Viannor, but the truth of the matter will likely never be discovered. Either way, Viannor used this and a show trial as an excuse to declare war on The Lowland Clans, who was a SDL member. The first real firefight of the war happened on AO's Lake Bekk, where the Starblaydi and TLC Bekk Fleets attacked each other. The TLC Bekk fleet's flagship, the carrier Winston Churchill was severely damaged, and most militaries generally agree that the Starblaydi's won that engagement. For those first shots of war, the Free Republic declared war on Starblaydia, which set off the AO War. The Starblaydi's supported by SAAS allies Footballia attacked the northern half of TLC, eventually making it to the capital city of The Lowland Clans, where the first massive SDL reinforcements helped to not only hold the city, but to make the SAAS forces retreat. They didn't go far, and a stalemate threatened to break out. That was not good enough for Viannor, so she fired a godrod at the nearest TLC large city, obliterating it.

The best guess is that Viannor thought that that would scare the SDL forces into surrender, but the murder of so many innocent civilians angered the SDL forces to the point that they litterally THREW themselves at the SAAS forces, forcing the SAAS to retreat from the southern half of their holdings. That was where they attempted a stand, and the first SDL attack against the stand by Lamonian anti-tank infantry failed. However, that was just a holding action so that our armor could catch up, and take the Crookfur sold Starblaydi T-7 Gilgamesh tanks on. When that Starblaydi line was beaten back, they retreated further, attempting to form a hedgehog defense, which failed when Starblaydi Lord-Protector Starblayde staged a successful coup in an attempt to reclaim his power. He declared a cease-fire with all Starblaydi forces to retreat back behind the Starblaydi pre-war border; and this was accepted. Lord-Protector Starblayde then called for the creation of a parliament in Starblaydia. After that, Starblaydia sealed their borders, and we haven't heard much from them since."

"I believe that such a war is indeed a horrible thing to deal with. Despite the mounting tensions that must have plagued the countries involved, it proves beyond a doubt that cold war is a common prelude to open war."

The party approached the end of the entrance hall, and then turned to the side, where they entered a richly decorated parlor. It was filled with heavy oak furnishings, many of which were inlaid with ebony wood and cherry wood. In the center of the room, there was a large oak table, inlaid in the top with mahogany and maple wood. The edges were covered in gold leaf, which was over a millimeter thick. Upon the table were stacks of documents, which were related to the visit. The Queen then took up some of the documents and gave them to General-Colonel Savage, then gave more of them to Tanya Ley.

Within the documents were copies of the national constitution and the fact book. Information about the succession law and details about special information were also included. After spending about fifteen minutes of showing the papers to the delegation, the King got out of his seat and went to the entrance hall, where he spoke briefly to a waiting butler. He came back into the room, and sat down on the plush recliner.

About two minutes later, the butler entered the room with a push cart loaded with champagne. Several bottles lined the top of the cart. The butler took one out of the cart, and opened up the wax seal, then uncorked the bottle. He took five glasses out of the cart’s compartment that was contained in the bottom, and then began to pour the champagne into the glasses.

After he set down the loaded flutes of the drink, he took the empty bottles and discarded them into a waiting wastebasket. The Queen took up her glass, and offered a toast. “To a glorious friendship, and a merry time here on your visit.” She said.

The Foreign Minister and the military man were both reading the documents, and absorbing their implications. Some of the time, one of them would point something out to the other one. President Stinson watched this, as these two were some of his best advisors. They had been of tremendous help to him in the past, and he was hopeful of their both being there for him in the future.

President Stinson politely acknowledged the toast, and added one of his own. "To friendship and prosperity, may they both smile on both of our nations." He then drank his Champagne, and pronounced it to be good. "If I may enquire, where was this Champagne made? It truly is good."

"The champagne comes from a villiage winery outside of Capua. This was made over fifteen years ago, and has aged well. I thank you for your kind toast."

The butler came in, now bearing a tray of pastries, and set it down on an end table. He also took several small silver plates off of the push cart and set them down on another end table. He departed after he finished this said work.

"You are being most generous, your majesty. I am sure that we will quickly come to a diplomatic agreement at this rate." President Stinson grabbed one of the pastries while awaiting a reply from the king, and liked it.

After some hours of polite and semi-diplomatic questions and answers, the Lamonians were getting tired. The group didn't know what time zone that they were currently in, but it was past when they normally went to be in Lamoni's -0300 AOTC timezone. After making the required polite excuses, the Lamonians asked to be taken to their rooms so that they would be ready for the more serious talks the next day.

"You are being most generous, your majesty. I am sure that we will quickly come to a diplomatic agreement at this rate." President Stinson grabbed one of the pastries while awaiting a reply from the king, and liked it.

After some hours of polite and semi-diplomatic questions and answers, the Lamonians were getting tired. The group didn't know what time zone that they were currently in, but it was past when they normally went to be in Lamoni's -0300 AOTC timezone. After making the required polite excuses, the Lamonians asked to be taken to their rooms so that they would be ready for the more serious talks the next day.

After the Lamonians had spoken about their intention to retire to bed, the King of Monavia told the butler to escort them to their appointed quarters. The night was indeed late, ast it was almost 9:30 P.M. local time. The tray of pastries was placed back into a refrigerator for storage, and the remaining bottles of champagne were taken away to be drunk at lunch. The Lamonians were then escorted to bed.

At about 10:00 that night, the King and Queen retired to bed. They changed, and then went to sleep. The butler then took the papers to a drawing room for storage before they could be used the next day. He then retired to bed, and along with him, his fellow staff went to bed as well.

In the morning, at around 6:00 A.M. the King and Queen awoke to find themselves well rested. They went to breakfast, and followed trough with their appointed schedules. At lunch time, after they had dealt with all of their executive business, and had reviewed all of the passed legislation, they went over to the state dining room for high tea and to eat.

The lamonians then joined them, and the butler then brought in the previously mentioned champagne and pastries.

The three Lamonians felt refreshed with the new day, and welcomed the King and Queen as they entered the room.

"Your Majesty," President Stinson began, "I am assured by my two colleagues that we all had a very restful night's sleep. Would Your Majesty like to eat first, or conduct business first?"

While the question was being asked, the Foreign Minister, and the Colonel-General were each munching on a pastry. They were especially good, even for those served to a head of state and important foreign guests.

"I wish that we eat first, since we have done our daily business first. We will come around to discussing our new relations after lunch. The tea will be brought in shortly." said the Queen. "Of course, if you want to discuss diplomacy over lunch, I would be most obliged to acquiece to your request."

The tea was brought in and served about five minutes later.

After the excellent meal was finished, it seemed that the group enjoyed each other's company.

When the time seemed right, President Stone was the first person to speak. "Would you like to begin your majesty? What is the Monavian Empire looking for from the outside world?"

"If you wish to know what it is that we seek, I can tell you very much. After a long period of isolationism, the Empire has decided to improve its standing in the world by seeking out other nations and establishing relations with them. We seek trade, economic partnership, alliances, membership in trade blocs, improvement in commerce, military unity, and other benefits that come with being involved in the international community." he answered, as he finished his tea.

"And the Free Republic can provide you with many of those things, your majesty," President Stinson started, "In addition to our own nation, the Free Republic has friendly relations with the Republic of Colstream, and the Principality of Damirez. We also have embassies from over thirty other nations, so we can help you to open diplomatic doors.

We are working out economic agreements with both Colstream and Damirez, which we are sure will boost economic and other ties with those nations. And we believe that we can help you militarily as well.

We can trade wood, oil, post modern communications technology captured in our war against Novvs Atlantis; which was farther back in our history, and the ubiquitous trout. We also offer the Empire of Monavia the chance to establish an embassy on the soil of the Free Republic. Really, where we go from here is up to you, your majesty."

"I appreciate your most generous offer. I believe that a treaty of friendship is in order, and you may take part in setting up the terms of the agreement. There is of course, the issue of how to deal with trade. We have many mineral resources, and we have significant quantities of refined metals. We produce forest products, and a massive number of different industrial goods, from computers to furniture. We are very self sufficient as a nation, but we use trade to maximize our potential economic strength. We can offer you virtually anything that you can ask for, but we can aslo use any supplies that you have to offer. It is up to you on what to trade."

The King now enptied another glass of tea. He then asked Miss Ley if she wolud like more tea, to go with her lunch, and he had the butler place a cup at her place at the table.

"As far as setting up a trade pact, we welcome the idea. Once again, you may set the terms, and we would be pleased to oblige. Forming new ties with other nations can also be put on the agenda.'

Foreign Minister Ley graciously thanked the King for the refill of her tea. "As an example of the Post Modern communications technology that we gained from the former nation of Novvs Atlantis, I can show you this, your majesty." What looked like a standard cell phone with color screen was placed on the table by the Foreign Minister. "It looks like a cell phone, but in reality, this is the Lamonian CD-5 secure communications device. It works like a standard cell phone, but it can also access satellites, using the channel with the highest possible bandwidth. In satellite mode, you can have either a video conference mode where the other person is displayed on the screen, or you can just move the sliding face in order to simply type out a message. It also has a radio function, which will give you access to both secure and non-secure radio networks. The CD-5 has one million bit encryption, which has resisted all known efforts to break it. It can also be used like a normal cell phone; including text messaging, which can be useful for fooling people in clandestine operations. It is powered by a unremarkable cell phone battery, and is recharged the same way as any other cell phone battery. The CD-5 is the latest version approved for export."

"The Free Republic would welcome both a trade and a friendship treaty," she continued, "I would think that possible terms might include relaxed visa restrictions for citizens of both nations when they visit the territory of the other nation, an embassy exchange, and exchanges of art and culture. The Free Republic would not mind if governmental leaders from The State of Monavia were to make a reciprocal visit to Lamoni at some future date. I know that I for one am having a good time simply being here and enjoying the hospitality. In my job, I don't often have time for a day off from work, and this diplomatic visit is an enjoyable change of pace."

"I am greatly impressed by your device, an though we have cell phones with video feeds, this is completely new to us. The secure encryption systems and the bandwith requirements are useable here, and perhaps they can be exported to this country. I think that we can include them in our possible trade treaty.

"Many of the devices used in Monavia are more simple, in keeping with our tradition of simplicity. We try not to make our technology simple enough to be easily and quickly handled by the masses, but in doing so, we will often have a citizen carry a cell phone, miniature computer with E-mail and word processing, and a portable radio. While multiple devices may seem to be a burden, they are often easily handled. Cramming a phone with so many new features may cause the device to become difficult to learn how to operate, but we are up to the challenge."

Once King Charles had finished, he downed another cup of tea, and spoke again. He motioned for Mr. Carter to bring a file that contained information about Monavian communications devices, and about new methods of transportation. After about five minutes, Mr. Carter returned with the said folders.

"Within these folders are papers concerning new types of communications devices. Also contianied within are papers relating to new transportation ststems, including various metjhods of high tech level urban transport systems. We use monorails, MAGLEV trains, subways, and other mass transit systems in Monavia. We rely mostly on nuclear power, which supplies about 40% of our power requirement needs, and hydroelectric power provides an additional 25%. We will make available information regarding these power systems in the future."

King Charles then turned to General-Colonel Savage. "Is there anything that you wish to add?" he asked.

After a moment of thinking through a coherent reply, Colonel-General Savage replied, "Your Majesty, I can tell you about the Lamonian military if you wish. Our military has generally defended our nation, and has helped to defeat the SAAS.

Standard Lamonian military focus has been on infantry and special forces, with tanks and planes as support. Our pilots and tank crewmen are proficient in their equipment, but they don't get to use it as much as I would like."

President Stinson cringed at that remark, but it was what the Colonel-General had been saying for awhile now. Just not in front of Foreign heads of state.

The Colonel-General continued, "The Lamonian military has been used as a tool of statecraft, having been offered as peacekeepers to countries that need such.

Our primary fighter aircraft is the F-16C, and our primary Main Battle Tank is the M1A1 Abrams. We are looking to upgrade our military forces, and me just might be able to do so with the economic agreements made with the Republic of Colstream and the Principality of Damirez. We also have a modest navy of destroyers, which are mainly used to defend our homeland. We normally use specially converted freighters from the National Reserve as troop carriers when there is need. If there is anything more that you need to know about the Lamonian military, please do not hesitate to ask, your majesty."

"I am sure that we can also offer some form of upgrades in military equipment. We would include it in our trade treaty. Though we have much in the way of equipment, we still must manage our budget. I know much about our military systems, but the Defense Minister can explain it to you in a better way than me. Tomorrow, I can offer you a tour of one of our public facilities. However, I can convene the cabinet and have them tell you more about the military this afternoon.

"I can tell you that the main aircraft used by the military are divided by class. The principle fighters are the F-35 and the F-22, though we still use F-18 fighters and F-16s as well for support. Our bombers include the B-52 class and other heavy bombers. We also rely heavily on supersonic bombers.

"We use many kinds of battleships and aircraft carriers, the largest of the carriers measure up to 1,700 feet in length. We have an extensive number of tanks as well, and possess many armored units. We may be willing to export this equipment to you for an economically viable cost."

Once he had finished, King Charles faced President Stinson. "What do you need in terms of trade?" he asked.

Thinking quickly, President Stinson replied, "Your majesty, the Free Republic needs a modernization of it's military. While we have found friends in the international community, we are also very much aware that there are nations out there that would like nothing better than to wipe us off of the map, just because we exist. Our men are battle hardened and experienced, but they would be overrun without the right equipment. We would also be willing to use the profits from the sales of our CD-5 communications device to The State of Monavia in order to help fund any weapons sales that may emerge.

We have more than adequate stocks of metals, oil, food, and wood; the second biggest need of the Free Republic would be finished goods, especially consumer goods. We produce consumer goods of our own, but what consumer has been adverse to a broadening of choices in their shopping options? If I may, what are the trade needs of The State of Monavia, your majesty?"

"Our national industries will need various trade goods that are hard to come by in many nations. Our needs include: depleted uranium for use in our military arsenal, osmium and iridium in moderate quantities, and refine uranium for use in nuclear power stations. We also have need of high grade steel in small amounts that can be used to bulid military equipment.

"We have in stock a large number of retired warships, which are in too good of a condition to be used for scrap. We can sell you some of them. They are mainly those manufactured in the period from 1940 to 1960. While we retain a significant number of warships with high level technology, we can afford to send you some. While they work very well, they are now being sold off because we have been able to build better ones. We also have about 100tanks to sell off and a large number of missiles that have become economically unviable to maintain. We are further willing to export nuclear arms in large numbers.

"While none of this is free, we will buy at any stated price, granted that it is reasonable, any goods that Lamoni may be willing to offer."

President Stinson nodded. "We have Uranium mines in the Free Republic. If we sent you some of our Uranium, you could use that for both the Depleted Uranium and Refined Uranium roles. Osmium and Iridium might be harder... but we do have deposits of Osmiridium ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridiosmium ). The deposits are small, but we do have them. We also manufacture high grade steel, which is used in the construction and repair work of what military forces that the Free Republic possess.

In addition, we are willing to export the CD-5 communications device to The State of Monavia.

Getting to what The State of Monavia is willing to trade; we wish to enquire about the type of tank that you are willing to sell us one hundred of; as well as the number and types of warships and missiles. Also, we would like to enquire about the numbers and types of nuclear weapons that The State of Monavia is willing to trade. Also, the Free Republic would be willing to sell even more of it's Uranium to The State of Monavia for use in the construction of nuclear arms for both nations. We feel that such measures would be beneficial to the long-term interests of both our nations."

"Osmiridium. I thought that I could remember it from my studies of chemistry. It is still a very dense material. the Empire needs it for a new kind of device, one that will be used for the military. As for the tanks, we have a set of 100 M1A1 Abrams tanks. They are being phased out of service. We acquired them about ten years ago for a military test program. While they are not the most advanced, we are willing to trade them off for the needed supplies. They still preform admirably, but they are not the best that we have, so we cannot make much use of them.

"We have various outdated navy vessels, many of which we could be able to provide for use as sources of refined materials. We can give you the outdated ships to scrap for their high grade metal, the tanks to build up your armored divisions or units, and the missiles to deliver any nuclear or chemical weapons that you may have. The nuclear devices that I speak of are warheads that range in yield from 100 kilotons to 25 megatons. They are designed to take out large targets. We can spare 1,000 of them. We have an aging stock of 2,500 to choose from, so take your pick.

"We also have at our disposal three battleships from the 1940s that you can use. They have recently been refurbished, so they are in working order. They have very accurate weapons, good armor protection, and they have been fitted with missile launchers. They are seaworthy and caan still be of use to us and yourselves as well"

"The tanks will perform admirably in Lamonian service, your majesty. We will take them off your hands for you. We would also take the ships, and scrap them for their metal content. I'm sure that the hull materials could be used to make backstops for shooting ranges, if nothing more useful. We would also gladly take the three Battleships off your hands for you. They would give the Lamonian Navy an offensive punch that it could use. Most of our nuclear weapons are of the five Kiloton variety, so we would gladly receive the higher yield 25 Megaton to 100 Kiloton weapons, as well as missiles to deliver them with." President Stinson took a breath, and continued.

"I believe that we have agreeable terms for a trade treaty, your majesty. If you would permit, I could have a team of Lamonian nuclear weapons experts come to Monavian soil in order to inspect and pick out the nuclear weapons that we would wish to select. Also, I would like to invite your majesty and the Queen to visit the Free Republic at some point in the future. What kind of terms would The State of Monavia wish to see in a friendship treaty?"

"I could see changes in visa and passport restrictions. Relaxing them for travel between out two nations would be a fine start. I can further recommend the use of a trade system, a removal of all tariffs on Lamonian goods, and the free exchange of technology. I believe this will suffice. I also have a further offer.

"I have a nuclear missile submarine that is being decommissioned this year. It will be recycled unless we can find use for it. Perhaps I could persuade the Defense Minister to include it in a part of our trade. A single submarine has much in the way of destructive capacity, so it could act as a strong deterrent to any foreign aggression that comes your way.

"I believe that when the visit is over, you can formally write this treaty of friendship, and send it to us to sign."

OUT OF CHARACTER:

You can make a treaty thread if you like. Include any terms that you may want me to sign to.

IN CHARACTER:

The King now finished. He took a cell phone out of his pocket, and called a number. He was calling the Minister of Commerce, Susan Wright. He sent a quick message to her, as she was preoccupied at the moment. He then put the phone away and leaned back in his seat.

Quen Elizabeth then spoke to President Stinson. "If the deal being proposed is good enough for you, you may put it on paper and it can be signed within two weeks."

OOC: I'll post the treaty thread as soon as this entry is completed.

IC: "Your Majesties, the terms are acceptable to the Free Republic. We will have a proposed treaty ready for you upon our return to the Free Republic. I think that our business here has been concluded. I am curious to see if we might play tourist in your country for the remainder of the day while the preparations are made to fly us back to the Free Republic? It would be such a shame to have come all the way here and not have seen something of the country that we are about to sign a friendship and trade treaty with."

OOC: I'll post the treaty thread as soon as this entry is completed.

IC: "Your Majesties, the terms are acceptable to the Free Republic. We will have a proposed treaty ready for you upon our return to the Free Republic. I think that our business here has been concluded. I am curious to see if we might play tourist in your country for the remainder of the day while the preparations are made to fly us back to the Free Republic? It would be such a shame to have come all the way here and not have seen something of the country that we are about to sign a friendship and trade treaty with."

"A tour of the capital can be arranged in the hour. You can see any of the various significant places in the city that you wish, and we can bid you farewell. You are welcome to stay for as long as you wish," King Charles said.

"Do you have any recommendations as to what to see in the capitol, your Majesty?" President Stinson was sure that they would have a tour guide, but it was always interesting to get an opinion from a local.

"The central business district is a good place to start. There is also the Parliament Building, the Supreme Court Buliding, the various government department buildings, and the local Museum of Natural History. A travel brochure is enclosed in a file that I have here."

He then gave President Stinson the file containing three travel brochures.

"Thank you for the brochures, Your Majesty. I am sure that we will find much of interest during our tour. If you don't mind, I think that we shall prepare ourselves for the tour."

--snip--

They started at the Museum of Natural History. The "Understanding Our DNA" exhibit (OOC: making up exhibits based on: http://www.amnh.org/) was particularly interesting. Then there was the polar exhibit, and the exhibit on wintering birds.

President Stinson was also a closet Anthropologist, and he was the one that suggested that they stopped by the Museum in the first place. Not because he expected to learn much about humans and their cultures (the main objective of Anthropology), but because it was something that he so rarely got to do. He also assumed that some sort of security was with them, but he figured that they were plainclothed, because he couldn't spot them.

The exhibit next to the anthropology exhibit was a recent addition to the museum. It was a diorama of nearly three billion years of geologic time in the form of minerals and rocks that had been mined in the country. President Stinson was amased when he saw a towering column of ancient granite that had been mined nearly a century ago. It stood in the midle of the room.

"This pillar was formed in an eruption some 600 million years ago, in geologic time," a tour guide said. "Some similar rock was used as building stone in Lyon Castle."

The minerals and rocks exhibit was certainly breathtaking. In the middle of the room stood a pillar of ancient Granite. It was tall, and it looked like it might have been part of a building once.

"This pillar was formed in an eruption some 600 million years ago, in geologic time," a tour guide said. "Some similar rock was used as building stone in Lyon Castle."

It certainly LOOKED like it was created 600 million years ago, thought the more literal minded Colonel-General. He knew that they would only be in Monavia for another day or two at the most, but he was itching to get back to the Free Republic, where he could do his job. Sure, it was nice to have a vacation, but he wasn't really the type to 'relax.' Being around Foreign National Leaders earlier hadn't helped him to relax, either. If anything, he felt out of his depth, except as a bodyguard for the President, if it came down to it, and so far, he hadn't noticed anything that suggested that it would.

A message was sent via phone to the museum. The pay phone rang loudly in the hallway onnecting the two exhibits, and a secrity guard was dispatched to inform the receipient of the call of its nature. He quickly found General-Colonel Savage of the news.

"General Savage, or whatever title is appropriate, I have a call for you from one Mr. Frank Carter. He has a brief matter to discuss with you."

After briefly describing what was going on to both President Stinson and Foreign Minister Ley, the two followed him to a telephone; and after the number was given to them, General-Colonel Savage made the call.

After ringing twice, the man on the other end of the line picked up. "This is Colonel-General Savage of the Free Republic of Lamoni. Who am I speaking to?"

"Colonel-General Savage, this is Mr. Frank Carter, the Foreign Minister. I have recently been informed that the pending treaty hs been submitted to the Senate. I hope that it goes well. The reason for htis call is the need to inform you of the amount of hardware that is being offered. I believe that it will better further your preparations."

"What can you tell me?," he asked.

"The said hardware will be transported to Lamonian territory in one week. All you and your government will need to do is provide a location to deliver the hardware and to give us instructions for the delivery. The battleships, submarine, warheads, and so forth will be guarded during transport, with the Monavian governemt covering the cost of the security. The transport, as pursuant to the pending treaty, will be at Lamonian expense."

Nodding, the Colonel-General replied, "You can make use of the harbor facilities at Lemnos City, slips twenty through thirty. If you'll give the bank account details to me, I can then have the needed funds moved from my discretionary funds. Lamonian Navy personell will be at the harbor to assist you in moving the hardware to a secure location."

"Thank you for the information. I will have the said hardware ready by February 5. Until then, I have business to attend to. Goodbye." Mr. Carter hung up.

After that phone call ended, Colonel-General Savage pulled out his CD-5, and made the arrangements for the reception of the equipment that the Free Republic was to receive. The diplomatic party would be leaving Monavia before then, to personally oversee the operation.

Until then, they would enjoy what Monavia's capitol had to offer.

The day wore on as the delegation explored the museum. After visiting over forty exhibits, the day had worn on into the evening. The museum was still filled with visitors, and despite the lateness of the day, more visitors were still arriving. The delegation then finished its tour around 5:00 P.M. and decided to linger for a few moments.

The Lamonians were trying to decide where to have dinner, but couldn't agree on a place.

Finally, General-Colonel Savage walked over to one of the Museum staff, and asked him if he knew of a good place for dinner.

"There is a fine restaurant in the city about ten miles from here. It is at 18th Street and Mayfield Avenue. It serves mostly seafood that is caught on the coast, and most of it is fresh from the sea. There is also river fish on the menu. It is about thirty minutes away." the man answered. He then turened to his associate, Mrs. Dancroft. She gave them a map of the area. She then left for a meeting in the room outside the lobby.

With the suggestion (and the map) in hand, General-Colonel Savage returned to where President Stinson and Foreign Minister Ley were still 'discussing' where to go; and made his suggestion, which was agreed upon.

When they got to the restaurant, it looked like they had made the right choice. The restaurant had an air about it that all three seemed to agree with. They sat at a table, and ordered their food from the menu. When it came out, it looked good, and tasted better. They agreed on a fine Monavian red wine, and it went well with their fish.

Once the delegation had finished their visit to the restaurant, they left for a hotel to stay at until the morning. They would stop along the way to take care of business. The night was cold and there was snow all over the city. The air was freezing that night.

In the morning, the Lamonians had packed their bags, and left for the airport. Once they were on their plane; and had received clearance, LAF 1 took to the sky to bring them home. Their F-22H escorts protecting them along the way.

By noon, the plane had left the city limits and had exited the Federal District. It soon made its way to the plains and forests that made up the rural parts of Monavia. Upon reaching the edges of the forests, a radio transmision was sent to the plane. It was sent at about 1:00 P.M.

"Hello. This is Chancellor Hanover. I have a message for President Stinson and his delegation."

A radio message was sent back. "Chancellor Hanover, this is President Stinson. How can we be of assistance?"

"I thought that I would call you to wish you good luck on your journey, and safe passage. I also thought that the new treaty will be of good use to both of our nations in the future. I think that it would be best if another state visit is hosted at a later date. Until then, I wish you a safe trip. Goodbye."

The transmission ended with that last statement.

Just before the Lamonian aircraft departed Monavian airspace, President Stinson used his CD-5 communications device to send a message to Chancellor Hanover via the Monavian version of Lamoni's Foreign Ministry.

---
To: Chancellor Hanover, Monavia

The Free Republic would be honored to host a state visit by a delegation from Monavia at a later date. It is our hope that the new treaty between our two nations will usher in an era of peace and prosperity between our two peoples.

Signed,

Andrew Stinson
President
Free Republic of Lamoni

Once Chancellor Hanover had received the message, he smiled quietly and sat down in the chair in his office. He confidently leaned back and knew that the future was going to be a bright affair.

That evening, he wondered what the future would bring.

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED