NationStates Jolt Archive

The Delian League

Established on the Damiran island of Delos, the Delian League represents an organization aimed at offering mutual economical and military benefits to member states. As the founder, The Principality of Damirez oversees the well going of the League and retains the role of leading entity for this organization. The following act represents the charter of the League.

I. Membership requirements.

Nation wishing to become members of the League must fulfill the following criteria.

a) A free market economy – In order to fully enjoy the benefits of membership, nations must allow competition and open their economy to fellow League members.

b) The diplomatic stance of the aspiring state with the founder of the League is favorable. Similarly, relations with League members count in the admission process.

c) The candidate shows willingness to use diplomacy in order to defuse a conflict, resorting to conflict only when there are no other options left.


II. Membership Obligations

Having been admitted to the League member states must follow the following conduct code.

a) Members will seek to further not only their benefits but also those of fellow members in the event that a situation with consequences to one or two involved states appears.

b) Conflict between member states is to be avoided, diplomatic means being preferred above all else. Should states engage themselves in conflict, the founder reserves the right to expel the aggressing country from the League.

c) Members will contribute with 2% of their GNP to the Treasury of the League. The amount is negotiable depending on the particularities of each member state.

d) Free trade with fellow league nations, facilitation of transport/access between countries.

e) To raise the League Flag with your own national flag.

III. League Treasury Administration.

The funds contributed by member states to the League will be administered as follows.

a) 60% will be directed towards acquiring and maintaining the navy of the league.

b) 25% will be directed towards investments made in the economy of member countries. The money will be split in several funds aimed at improving the overall economic situation of the member state.

c) 10% represent the reserves of the League.

#1 The funds will be used to cover up losses in the event member states are forced to infringe upon private owned enterprises as a result of conflict.

#2 A resource for integration aid provided to new member states should they require them.

#3 Reserves in the event the League is faced with financial difficulties.

d) 5% administrative expenses of the organization.

Management of the treasury will be done by the founder.

IV. Membership Benefits.

Members in the Delian League will enjoy the following benefits.

a) Economic benefits from an expanded market.

b) Investments in strategically important areas made from the League Funds.

c) Monetary support in the event of calamities or reconstructions following conflict.

V. Military Status of the League.

The League represents a unique military organization, intended to insure protection of the member states from aggression and conflict.

a) Member countries are not obliged under normal circumstances to contribute military assets to the League with a few notable exceptions. Funds from the League treasury will be used to acquire and maintain a navy.

#1 Member states will be asked to provide encampment/basing and logistic support for maintenance. The matter is open to negotiations.

#2 Taking into account the alliance status of the League, members are required upon special requirements to answer “A call to arms” the event involving a full scale mobilization of the member states.

b) The League Navy will act in the best interests of the member states providing defensive/offensive support in the event of a conflict.

#1 The Navy of the League can be called upon by member states faced with unprovoked conflict. In the event of conflict caused by aggressive behavior of member states, the League holds no obligation to deploy.

VI. Founder obligation.

The founder of the League obliges to the following.

a) Administration and distribution of the funds in the League Treasury.

b) Administration of the League Navy.

c) Providing the manpower required to man the ships of the navy.

#1 The Principality is therefore responsible with providing officer bodies for the navy of the League.

#2 Volunteers from League member states are encouraged to join service under the League banner.

d) Administrating the affairs of the League.

e) Supervising the admission of new members. League member opinion will be accounted for in this case.

#1 The admission process is done via evaluation of the candidate state by the Principality.

Founder:

Damirez

Members:

Mephras
Pinguinum
New Manth
Wagdog
Vetaka
Animarnia
Weccanfeld
Lamoni
Castilla y Belmonte






Several months ago…

”My back’s killing me,” a man complained to those around him as they emptied a van and headed towards what looked to be a low cost hotel.

”Only until paycheck,” the others replied in a choir and they all erupted in laughter before suddenly stopping, ”It’s been so long now…” one of them tentatively started talking, ”Tons and tons of earth, stone and gallons of water,” he looked at the nearly completed construction on the horizon.

”I’m going to miss this place,” another spoke, ”’twas hard, but to be involved in something like this, I don’t think it’s something any of us will ever have this chance again.”

”Do you think we’ll find out what we were building? I heard from a friend of mine that there’s dozens of other construction companies involved and none of them have a clue to what they’re doing!” came the inquiry from a new voice.

”Whatever this is, it had to cost a lot of money!”

--

Present time…

Years of hard work and diplomacy finally paid off. Billions, no trillions of money invested were finally going to see the light of day. Librescu had no illusion that many were to take notice of the almost megalithic projects undertook by the Principality or of the huge sums involved, but not even the most inquisitive minds could hope to reach anything but the surface of this project.

It all started with an innocent question a student asked during one of his visits at an university during the establishment of various Commonwealth type alliances, ”When are we going to see the Damiran Commonwealth propping up the flag?” the young man asked and he had been quick to reply, ”We’re not the commonwealth type.”

Yet the question remained on his mind and even though commonwealths weren’t all that appealing to him, a new idea entered his mind. ”What about a League?” he asked himself and the wheels started turning. And only weeks after that meeting he started working towards that goal. If only that student knew…

The project was a challenge like no other, opposition and skepticism greeting him in his own government at first. The isolationist bunch of the parliament saw no need for Damirez to make any further commitments on the international scene, especially one such as this which, even though it granted The Principality quite a substantial boost in power and influence, also required a commitment like no other. It was one thing to have a duty towards an ally or towards an alliance, it was an entirely different thing to take an commitment towards the type of organization that Liviu was proposing.

There were other voices that saw no need for a country such as Damirez to form such an organization, but in the end, bit by bit he won them on his side. And once the proposal passed in a secret meeting of the Parliament, things were cleared up for the magic of diplomacy to do its work.

At first only some of the closest nations to the Principality were approached, nations allied to Damirez, nations convinced by the able diplomats of the Foreign Ministry about the benefits of the organization.

Then another opportunity appeared, old wounds were to be mend and old enemies welcomed as new allies. It was certainly not an easy undertake by those involved, but it paid off, the gains grossly outweighing the costs of the gallons of coffee consumed.

And amongst the various negotiations the president did something that shocked many, he extended the offer to a nation that many saw as a future enemy of the Principality tensions already running high between in a far off land. It was a gamble, but one that after hundreds of high level talks paid off.

With all the groundwork done, the agreement was made in secret and signed on the island of Delos, total secrecy being involved. The island was to be the ‘home’ of the League, the name of the organization established by that of the island, The Delian League and now, years after finally establishing the organization, Liviu finally felt that it was time to announce its presence and what other place for that to happen than one of the newly built facilities on Delos? It was time for the Principality to make a few preparations and maybe invite a few old friends to the inauguration.


OOC:Event in this thread take place some time after the crisis in Northern Halako and the Mephrasi civil war. As mentioned in the op this thread is invite only, please contact me via TG for entry.

As President Stinson and Foreign Minister Ley boarded LAF 1, Tanya reflected on the fact that she had just arrived back in the Free Republic two days ago from Neo-Ixania. Deputy Foreign Minister Ericka Tregre was still there, finishing up the work on the alliance proposal put forward by that nation. In the meantime, she and the President were going to a bigger event.

President Stinson was thinking about the list of nations that they were about to ally themselves with. Damirez had had friendly relations with the Free Republic for a long time now, and they were helping to rebuild Lamoni's economy. Not much was known about the other nations, but that would be rectified very quickly. He had left orders for the LIA to institute a crash operation to find out what they could learn about the other nations that the Free Republic was going to ally itself with. Of course, Lamoni had also invited their Monavian friends to make a case for their own admission into the League. THAT would be interesting, the President was sure; he'd have Tanya and the Monavian representative make that case to the other nations.

As he thought back to what had brought his nation to this point, he had seen the intelligence reports of what had happened to nations that had gone it alone. Most of them were destroyed, but some of them rose beyond that to become very respected nations. That had not been enough for President Stinson, and so he had extended the hand of friendship and alliance to Monavia, Neo-Ixania, Halakao, and Colstream. However, when Damirez had proposed the League to him, he had jumped on it; debating it with both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies until he had swayed enough of them for the treaty documents involved to have a chance of passing.

When he reflected on the struggle that it had been in order to win everyone over, he suddenly felt tired; and fell asleep on his Presidential bed. While he slept, he dreamed of the things that he would do with his wife in bed when he got back. The countryside and oceans kept on passing by, until the President was finally awakened when LAF 1 crossed into Damiren airspace. When the plane finally landed at the island of Delos, President Stinson had already showered, shaved, and changed into cleaner clothes.

With the plane finally stopped at the airport, President Stinson and Foreign Minister Ley walked down the jetway, escorted by Lamonian Vremya Gaurds; as per SOP.

One week after Chancellor Richard Hanover had spoken to President Stinson about relations with the Monavian Empire, he decided to send him a message concerning the nature of Monavian international status. It hads been an eventful week, as many events had come to pass, and the amount of debate concerning a new piece of legislation was growing larger every day. It seemed that there was no end in sight to the ever-growing upset over the work done by Parliament.

Chancellor Hanover was in his office that day, and was taking some time to rest after the hectic pace of the day. He went down the hall in his residence, which was located half a mile from the royal palace. He then turned as he walked into a room, and set himself to work on brewing some tea to drink. Drinking tea was very popular at the time. He brewedd the tea, and after waiting twenty minutes for it to cool, he downed the whole cup's worth.

The Chancellor now walked back to his office, and proceeded to open up the top drawer of his desk. He took out a small wooden box, and extracted a small electronic device for the box. It was a CD-5 Communications Device, which was a gift from the president of Lamoni. He then proceeded to make a call to President Stinson.

He activated the device, and waited to receive a reply. When he got a response, he began to speak to President Stinson.

"Mr. President, I once again have the pleasure of speaking to you. It has been a whole week, and I have suddenly become curious about how your latest international developments have gone. What can you tell me about how things have been in Lamoni?"

"Your Highness, we have been invited.....to Delos."

These words filled Mei Mian with both excitement and fear. Ever since the civil war had rocked the country approximately two years ago, Damirez has played an ever closer role in Mephrasian affairs. She had requested that a military presence stay in the country for four months after the crisis had ended, and had opened the country to Damiran investment. Pretty soon, the economy was once again on the upswing, and people of two countries who used to view each other with suspicion were slowly learning to live with each other.

Of course, the model for this relationship came from the Empress herself, who had soon after the civil war formalized her relationship with the young Damiran, Alex Rayne. Their relationship, despite being one of such a high profile, was one that both had agreed should be kept rather private. While Both countries greeted the news with excitement, they rarely appeared together in public, and due to the hectic political lives they both lead, they were often apart, even as the two countries grew ever closer.

As Mephras began to see the benefits of this increased integration, the Empress and her government were extremely pleased when they were approached to enter into this pact with the Damirans. At the beginning, there was vigorous parliamentary debate, questioning how such a union would affect the sovereignty of the Empire, and if such an expansion of markets would leave Mephrasian workers behind. However months of discussion finally won over many of the detractors, an an agreement was signed in secret, committing the Mephrasian Empire to the League.

And today, it finally came, the chance to announce this union, this creation of a new league. Mephras had often been somewhat of a introvert when in came to the international scene. Many of the other nations who had been approached we known only from the international pages of the Euphova Times. Mephras generally kept itself involved only in regional affairs, and then just barely. Mei wondered what this announcement on the international stage would bring for her country, but soon, her country would once again begin to change.

Delos, being only a few hundred miles off the western coast, was not as long of a trip for her as for many of the other powers. She chuckled slightly, remembering that only years before, her government had attempted to contest sovereignty over that very island. How our world has changed she thought to herself as she sat in the back of her limousine. It stopped at a small dock off the coast, where the imperial yacht would take the Empress and her entourage to the meeting. Gazing out onto the endless sea before her, her thoughts again drifted to her country, hoping that the future would only be brighter for her and her people.

"Mr. President, I once again have the pleasure of speaking to you. It has been a whole week, and I have suddenly become curious about how your latest international developments have gone. What can you tell me about how things have been in Lamoni?"

"Greetings, Chancellor Hanover. We have received an invitation to an alliance with The Principality of Damirez and eight other nations." While electronically sending the Chancellor a copy of the Delian League charter, President Stinson continued. "There is still time for Monavia to join The Delian League if you wish; my Foreign Minister and whomever that Monavia chooses to send to the first meeting can make a case for a Monavian entry into the alliance."

Vetakan Defence Force Military Base (VDFMB) La Roca, 8 Miles South of La Roca, Vetaka:

The Naval Base at La Roca had initially been built by the British Colonial Vetaka Regiment as a Air Defence Base during their colonial occupation of the Vetakan Nation in World War II when the British left and Vetaka desended into Civil War the Rebel Vetakan National Army took the base over and built the Naval Fortification Assets and eventually based their main Naval Fleet out of La Roca as it provided a safe port to the Rebel Fleet being some 120 Miles behind the Front lines.

When the Civil War ended La Roca was rewarded for its efforts with the foundation of the La Roca Naval Carrier Group based at the newly expanded Naval Base. However La Roca during the "VDF's Strategic Re-Organization of Force" La Roca was to close with the La Roca Naval Carrier Group been amalgamated into the VDF 2rd Joint Battlegroup based at New Helgan. The La Rocans protested the closure and argued that they depended on the base and its garrison for trade and economy however at first the then Republican Freedom Party led Government refused the La Rocan protests but then suddenly made a complete U-Turn and announced that La Roca was to not only remain open but it was to get a complete refurbishment and a massive expansion which would see massive investment and long term support. The La Rocans asked why and the Government mealy announced that the reason was part of Vetaka's wider Strategic Foreign Policy.

That was a year ago, it was some 10 months ago when the 9th VDF Engineer Regiment arrived and they where still here. On the Bases Landing Strip a makeshift Command Unit had been constructed and a man whom many new as General Greg Danet of VDF 9th Engineers shouted himself hoarse into a mobile:

"No No NO, Look Captain Anderson your Unit has had more than enough time, I give you extension after extension and its still not done. I accept its a Duel Nuclear Reactor and that the Launch and Initialization Protocols are difficult but you have had months. Command has sank a fucking Carrier load of resources into it. Your delays are starting to cost alot and a holding up other Teams and Units. Bottom Line Captain is that if the Reactor is not Operational within 72 Hours you and your team are off the project and suspended pending investigation by the Military Police Boys, Understand?"

He hung up the Phone not allowing the Captain to say anymore, Replacing the Phone in his pocket he barked at a nearby Sargent:

"Sargent Cordonal, Are the Dry Docks finished and Tested?"

The Sargent sighed and spoke:

"Finished they are Sir, Tested to a Degree but we need..."

"Let me guess, you need the Reactors online to test with the Power?" snapped the General

"Sir" the Sargent replied sluggishly

"Greetings, Chancellor Hanover. We have received an invitation to an alliance with The Principality of Damirez and eight other nations." While electronically sending the Chancellor a copy of the Delian League charter, President Stinson continued. "There is still time for Monavia to join The Delian League if you wish; my Foreign Minister and whomever that Monavia chooses to send to the first meeting can make a case for a Monavian entry into the alliance."

"I will speak with the King and Queen about this affair. For the time being, I would like to know more about the Delian League. I hear that it has been established by this nation known as Damirez, but I cannot say what we can do about the matter as we have no contact with this nation. I would like you to inform me more about the purpose of this league, and what we would need to do with it."

Mr. Carter looked at the electronic copy of the charter briefly, and then picked up the CD-5 device again, and wiated for President Stinson to respond.

OUT OF CHARACTER: If you could find some way for Damirez to give me diplomatic contact, that would be helpful.

"I will speak with the King and Queen about this affair. For the time being, I would like to know more about the Delian League. I hear that it has been established by this nation known as Damirez, but I cannot say what we can do about the matter as we have no contact with this nation. I would like you to inform me more about the purpose of this league, and what we would need to do with it."

Mr. Carter looked at the electronic copy of the charter briefly, and then picked up the CD-5 device again, and waited for President Stinson to respond.

"The Delian League is a mix of a military alliance, and an economic alliance. Should you need military or financial help, the league is there. Other than that, it won't affect your sovereignty.

The military side of the League is defensive. Damirez has purchased a large fleet of Isslemere built warships, and they will provide the officers in charge of the ships. All league nations are encouraged to allow their citizenry to volunteer for League naval service. Also, this is an alliance, so you would have League support in the event that your nation is attacked.

The economic side of the League will allow you to have free access to the economic markets of League nations. Also, it eases travel restrictions between League nations. If Monavia were to suffer the effects of a natural disaster or damage from a war, the League can also offer monetary and other resources to help you rebuild.

I would also like to note the presence of an International celebrity nation in the League Roster. Vetaka is the founder of the Theeb anti-slavery accords; as well as a League member-nation.

As for obtaining diplomatic relations with The Principality of Damirez, that will be no problem. As soon as this conversation ends, i'll make a call to the Damiren embassy here in Lamoni. That should get the ball rolling for diplomatic relations between Monavia and Damirez. The Free Republic would also happily put it's full support behind a Monavian entry to The Delian League," President Stinson replied.

"I agree with having arrangements made as soon as possible with Damirez. I really appreciate the news about the League, and I thank you greatly. There is an imposing question to consider, however. I wonder what this nation known as Veteka would have to do with all of this."

Mr. Carter was now very much enjoying the conversation. The news that President Stinson had just given him now peaked his curiousity.

"Vetaka is one of the nations that decided that it would be a good idea to join the League. With their presence, you can be sure that the League will be slavery free, they would not deal with a nation that uses slavery in any form. As a signatory to the Theeb Accords ourselves, we would not deal with pro-slavery nations either. We sent one of our Generals to Vetaka during the recent Theeb Accords conference to observe conditions in Vetaka, as well as to participate in the conference to the point of signing the Accords.

The General reported that while he saw what the Vetakan government wanted him to see; he believes that conditions in Vetaka are such that we would have no problems with establishing diplomatic relations. Of course, we have done more than that, with Vetaka as a League member, we have allied with them as well." President Stinson waited for a reply.

OOC: Contacted Damirez yesterday, you might have seen something from him already

OUT OF CHARACTER:

Damirez sent me a telagram. He said that he would like to have some more posts on the forum before he posts again.

IN CHARACTER:

"I will also report that the nation of Veteka is a possible diplomatic ally and friend. This is good news for our state of international affairs. As for the whole slavery issue, our constitution does not allow for slavery in the Empire, but this may be reviewed by the Vetekans for a motion of their confidence."

Mr. Carter then electronically sent a copy of the relevant articles.

AMENDMENT V
(1868)
The enslavement of Monavian citizens or foreigners shall be forbidden, and no involuntary servitude shall exist, except as a punishment for crimes against the Empire.


"This should be sufficient for the Vetekans to approve of our entrance into the League. If there is anything else that you may wish to inform me of, just call me again any time today. Do you have any further business?"

Port Butsky, Commonwealth Realm of Revguin, Revolutionary Commonwealth of Wagdog
Although Port Butsky remained the capital and economic hub of Wagdog’s southernmost (and largest) sub-archipelago, recent events very similar to that in La Roca had taken their toll on the local scene; and for similar reasons though unbeknownst to most of the populace of course. Once home base to the proud Second Fleet Group of the Wagdian Revolutionary Navy, all of Second Fleet proper and its’ associated Second Marine Division and Second Marine Air Wing, the base had been ordered closed scarcely over a year earlier. Moving the massive force to Manipulatia on the other side of the main island in this Realm wasn’t hard exactly, seeing as the entire Realm formed one recruiting district thankfully, but nonetheless it was a chore and there were the usual rounds of protest and dealings before things were settled.

Plopping himself down into the archaic table chair facing his computer, Mattias Van Nelsen welcomed himself home from another day at On Time Inc. Man, I DO hope my connection hasn't decided to get all funny on me again. In his rush to make it to work on time, Mattias had left his computer and Internet Relay Chat on; perhaps not the safest of things to do but when in a hurry to make it to work he usually had other concerns. He also knew his father Bjorn didn’t approve of his fraction of time spent online; but frankly, Mattias had long since stopped caring. Why should I involve myself with you when you and our ‘housemate’ are doing what both mom and I KNOW you’re doing? You don’t bother with my life except to complain, so why should I bother with yours and your girlfriend’s? At times he felt like an honest virtual nuclear exchange in one of his various computer strategy games after dealing with the pair, but he wasn’t that mad today. Yet.

At times, though the work at the Damiran-owned company was certainly worthwhile for a young 24-year-old staying at home, Mattias honestly wondered just what he was doing. For the past year no, more actually, management had been more than normally tight regarding making absolutely sure that his delivery verifications were double and even triple-checked. I’m just lucky nobody I’ve called has gotten bootlegs of that Remote Stabbing Protocol there’s been such a ruckus about abroad… That had caused quite a stir, especially with what some called the poetic justice of its’ creator being presumably killed by her own creation in the end; still it was illegal in both Wagdog and Damirez so Mattias had no real problems there. Besides, supposedly On Time Inc’s information-security architecture was good enough that even if someone he called did have RSP it still wouldn’t matter, but in his opinion it remained a ‘better safe than sorry’ matter.

In some ways, he knew some of what was going on; it was impossible to hide the construction going on at the shipyards. Recently bought-out, in fact just as soon as the Fleet had been moved to the other side of the island and its’ supporting ports elsewhere in the Revguin Archipelago, one didn’t have to be the amateur military and naval aficionado that Mattias Van Nelsen was to realize something was going down at the waterfront; something big. And something which, if the percentage of his work that revolved around the companies active there was any indication, he was a small part of perhaps. Whatever that stuff is, and whatever the news and government say, this base has NOT been decommissioned; that much is obvious. But if not, then what and who is it being used for?

Delos, Principality of Damirez
Stepping forward after her motorcade arrived at the facility in question, Stewardess Christine Friedrich took note of the gathering and was happy. At least me getting my ears harangued off by President Librescu years back was worth it, if it’s led to this. She knew the Damiran President and her would never agree on certain things, least of all perhaps exact styles of governance, but beneath that was sufficient genuine respect and accord that it was something both could stand to politely ignore. Stepping up to meet the Lamonian and Monavian representatives, flanked only by two Committee of Public Safety guards given how this was by far secure territory. It’s not like I have Imperator Maximus scarce meters away with armed guards stretching the armament rules like I did back in Theeb…

“Hello, I trust we’re all well?” ‘Twas best to break hair-raising thoughts with cheer now. “My apologies for any lateness, but I’m here as expected. With luck we can finally get this little ‘association’ public at last, yes?” Christine knew that some of the meetings might be awkward at first, but they had to be made all the same. No sense in maintaining too great a reserve or distance from what would become possibly her nation’s most important allies yet, given the somnolent state the United Federation of Allied Nations had retreated into for the moment; a significant factor in what contributions Christine had made to the League Charter even if it was neither intended nor would serve as a direct successor in any event. There were certain things that either would or wouldn’t be done by oneself, after all; only so much could be asked of others.

Port Alexandria

It was no secret that the Alexandria Naval Yard, the military part of the city's vast line of harbors, had been getting quite a lot of attention recently. Most of the work had been carried out under the auspices of the naval modernization and reduction project which had been started in the wake of the Baltic war, and indeed, many of the slipways were holding Questarian-designed cruisers and destroyers in various levels of completion, destined for eventual service in the Union Navy. But despite that justification, a few had noticed and wondered about the scale of the infrastructure being constructed to serve what would be in the end a navy much smaller than the current surface fleet. Channels had been redredged, new piers and drydocks had been added, and in some places the harbor itself had been simply pumped dry and dug out larger.

There was quite a lot of work going on besides the simple orders of new ships for the Navy, and occasionally dockhands and engineers would get together over a couple beers after a long day's work, and agree that whatever they were working on... it had to be a lot bigger than they had been told.

Delos

It was a long and not exactly smooth road that stretched behind the black presidential car now winding its way down the roads of Delos. Not that many years ago, Manthian soldiers and Damiran-backed insurgents had been killing each other in the wilderness of far-off islands, and though the Halakan conflict had been little more than a skirmish in the grand picture of things, it had been vicious enough in its own right. And it had certainly caused its share of mistrust during the diplomacy which had filled the intervening years... but eventually, that diplomacy had nevertheless lead to common ground, and an accord in which the interests of both states would be advanced.

As the convoy neared the facilities, one of his aides had had to tactfully nudge Saad al-Baradei, President of the Republic, back to awareness as the old man had threatened to nod off. At eighty-three years old, diplomatic visits to other countries and long plane flights were becoming ever more uncommon for the President, not that they had ever been particularly commonplace due to Manth's utilitarian approach to diplomacy in general. This trip, though, due to both the importance of the occasion and the amount of al-Baradei's political capital invested in the League, had required the aging President to add in at least one more tiring international plane flight before his anticipated retirement.

When Saad al-Baradei emerged from the vehicle, however, he had the presence of mind not to do anything too undiplomatic, like let loose the yawn that was still trying to escape whilst smiling for the cameras. Though he knew his back would punish him the next day, he had declined use of a cane for this occasion, but at least before the cameras closed in for the official announcement there would be a bit of time where he could discreetly accept an arm from a helpful staffer.

He would have to meet the leader of Lamoni and apparently Monavia, and to pay his respects to Christine Friedrich, but first he went to greet the Damiran president, Librescu, their host for the duration of the meeting and a man whom, thanks to the countless negotiations which had brought Manth into the League, he knew much better than the other heads of state present.

(OOC: Don't forget to send a Monavian representative with the Lamonian delegation, Monavia.)

I think that this should be sufficient for the Vetakans, at least. Other than that, I don't think that we have any further business at the moment, unless your government will be wishing to send a representative to Delos. Then you representative can come to Delos with our delegation. I shall be going along with my Foreign Minister. And, i'll contact the Damiren embassy as soon as we hang up.

---After hanging up---

President Stinson had a short note sent to the Damiren embassy; stating that The State of Monavia desired diplomatic relations with the Principality of Damirez, and giving contact information. With that, his promise to Mr. Carter was fulfilled.

---

“Hello, I trust we’re all well?”

"Yes, I am," stated President Stinson. "I am President Andrew Stinson of the Free Republic of Lamoni; and I am not mistaken, you attended the Theeb Accords Conference in Vetaka, Stewardess Christine Friedrich. General Cujas paid much attention to your views and positions there, and wished to express his greetings."

Mr. Carter stowed the CD-5 device away in the wooden box that sat in his desk. He drank another glass of tea, and began to write a summary report of his conversation with President Stinson. He then got back to his usual business.

The next day, Mr. Carter gave his report to the daily cabinet meetings that took place in the capital. He spoke for a while on the topic of the League, and then requested the King and Queen to send a delegation to Damirez to build diplomatic relations. When the meeting had ended, Mr. Carter went back to his office and placed another call to President Stinson.

"Mr. President, I need information on how to establish contact with the Principality of Damirez. If you have any way to bring me a line of communication, you are free to do so. the King and Queen desire a chance to speak with the leader of Damirez."

OOC: Next time I see Damirez on MSN Messenger, i'll tell him. Do you have an e-mail or instant messenger? I can send that to him as well.

IC: "We can use the Damiren embassy in Lamoni as a conduit for that. I'll relay your request; and your ambassador to Lamoni can likely handle things from there. Maybe the King and Queen would like to make a stopover in Lamoni when their business in Damirez is completed?"

OUT OF CHARACTER:

Thanks for the heads-up. I could really use the help of telling Damirez about the thread. Also, I will not be very active for the coming week. I will get on later, however.

IN CHARACTER:

"That idea would suffice." Mr. Carter said. "I believe that assistance from your ambassador can be helpful to us. A stopover in Lamoni is also a good idea, and we casn send a delegation to visit your country soon."

Perhaps times where changing for the Holy Empire, several months of touch and go relations with the Golden Throne and even NATO had pushed Stevid into massive defence procurement in case another war broke out. A stark contrast from the plans drawn up by the government for the coming decade which had been purposed to make the Holy Empire not just only a widely recognised and respected world power, but also to show it in a more friendly light. Ten years without a war and minimal colonisation and imperialism, not something Stevid could do easily but it had started well with a huge embassy exchange programme that had opened the Empire’s borders to new friends across the world with military, economic and political ambitions. It was supposed to be Stevid’s Golden Age of Peace that gotten off on the wrong foot with the Empire of the Golden Throne. The League, proposed to the government of Stevid by President Librescu many moons ago, was supposed to be part of the plan to make the Holy Empire seem more peaceful and progressive towards peaceful motives and politics instead of being a collection of dominions, islands and land masses that thrive on war. Delays to the formation of the League put additional pressure on Stevid’s foreign policy but now, with the announcement of this new alliance, Stevid could look forward to participating with her new allies.

The list of member nations was not small either and seemed to have been pre-selected for League admittance. Such nation states were well known by the foreign office but the Holy Empire had never made any move to make any profitable or good will dealings with them. The alliance looked exceptionally strong too with the likes of Vekaka and Wagdog in the mix, both countries would prove to be key pillars in such an alliance and Stevid would be proud to enter the alliance as another strong member that could get the League more international recognition.

Damirez may have had their own ambitions for the League and for the countries in it, ambitions that Stevid would abide to, but the Holy Empire had ambitions of its own- to be part of an alliance that good achieve great things and challenge any collection of superpowers in the world by focusing on the combined political, economic and military stature that the League possesses. The Sovereign League was so inactive of late that Stevid no longer took it seriously, likewise with any alliance Stevid had pledged support too had eventually crumbled because support from other countries dwindled- the RWC was one such alliance. Stevid left the OMP because of the pool of hypocrisy all the members seemed to swim in, the reborn alliance was not what it once was and since then the Holy Empire has avoided pledging support to an alliance in fear that it will just fall apart like most of the military and economic alliances out there. Only NATO retained Stevid’s respect, but also Stevid’s mistrust and hostile stance after the clashes between NATO forces and the Questerian Commonwealth. The Golden Throne too was also part of NATO which again meant the Holy Empire couldn’t tolerate the New Alliance Treaty Organisation anymore than it could religious extremism but the sad fact was that it was a progressive and strong alliance that had stood for many, many years. No other well known international military alliance had achieved such greatness, but the League showed promise- maybe even more so than NATO did when it was first founded. The League was well led and already had attracted several major world players and had the potential to grow and grow to a level of power that would rival NATO. This was something that the Holy Empire couldn’t ignore- Stevid needs good allies, trustworthy friends and the League was a full host of friendly nations willing to open their doors to new prospects. Stevid would gratefully join the alliance and a message was immediately sent to the Damiren embassy in Stevid Capita with the news.

It wasn’t long before Prime Minister David Conroy was in flight and inbound towards Damirez. Now a long term ally of the Holy Empire there was no need for military escort, just personal security. The recent pact where the Empire, Independent Hitmen and Damirez had come together to create a joint union had brought all three countries even closer. The joint Stevid/Damirez space programme had led to one of the most complex and intricate space borne anti-ballistic missile/satellite defence networks in the world. A military satellite network shared by both countries that now encompassed and protected the Holy Empire, Damirez and now Independent Hitmen which brought the countries closer still. The joining of the League be nothing but beneficial to the Holy Empire. When the plane finally landed several hours later in Delos, Conroy was shocked to learn he was late and not the fashionably late sort of late… stupidly late. He was sure his hosts at the conference wouldn’t mind but it was polite and courteous to at least appear on time. Stevid International Airport was one of the biggest in the world and was in desperate need for a larger control room to handle the amount of aircraft, Conroy’s flight had been delayed simply because aircraft landing and taking off were maybe ten or so minutes late each, these sort of delays built up meaning Conroy’s flight had been delayed a total of three hours minus the flight time he was now nearly four hours late.

While other delegations for the countries to be part of the alliance conversing, Conroy was in a car being escorted to the conference through the busy traffic trying to think up as many apologies as possible.

OOC: Sorry for any problems with the post- haven't been following as closely as I wanted to.

IN CHARACTER:

"That idea would suffice." Mr. Carter said. "I believe that assistance from your ambassador can be helpful to us. A stopover in Lamoni is also a good idea, and we can send a delegation to visit your country soon."

"We look forward to a visit." President Stinson continued. "And you are fully welcome to our help in your attempts to set up a state visit to Damirez."

Joahnathon Cromtoan was not a happy man. Indeed, the best description of his personality would be that he was, in short, an old git, tight on men, tight on money and tight on pretty much everything else.

His wrinkled face (http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee269/sladt/JoahnathonCromtoan.png) was presently looking over a table, maybe 20 feet long, at which a number of well dressed men, all above 40 but many at least twenty years above that were enjoying a nice governmental dinner. The most prominent was the one sat at Joahn's right, one that eyed the First Minister's unfinished plate with inquisitive eyes.

"You haven't ate your peas. They're good for you" he started, with an almost mocking tone of voice.

Joahn said nothing, but the keenest observer could see the colour of his face turning a slight red.

Raising his voice while keeping its mocking tone, he repeated himself.

For Joahn, that was the straw that broke the camels back. For weeks, Tondhert had been treating him like a naughty child, telling him off at every opportunity. This, along with a renewed campaign of pushing his goals through the cabinet made his blood boil. A feeling that manifested in a frenzied fist hitting the table and a subsequent shouting

"Damn you to hell, Tondhert! I've known you for over 50 years and in every one you've known that I hate peas! Just because I am in my ninetieth year does not mean I am senile! If you think you can use me as a...as a nice old granddad to rule the nation without me stepping down first, then you are sadly mistaken!"

He paused, his chest labouring hard to fuel his anger. Looking around, he saw the surprised faces of the cabinet. He felt a sense of superiority.

'This must be what tin-pot dictators feel like...'

"If securing our nation's future means I am out of my mind, then you and the rest of this table would have been left to rot in a straight jacket decades ago! The League ensures guaranteed economic investment in our country and a navy that, while financed by us to a degree, will be paid and manned by nations much larger than ourselves! I don't want to heard all this defeatist bollocks about sovereignty and allying ourselves with nations that will seek to turn our efficient state, ruled by our philosophies of fascism, free market and autocracy into some Demotwat quasi-communist mess ruled by a populace that has no idea how to rule a business, nevermind a bleeding country! I am First Minister of this state, and I assure you all, I will be until the heart monitors flatline for good! Ande Ackermann will land in Delos, and he will put our nation on the map of these states whether they like it or not! Any questions?"

There were none.

OOC: Assume my rep has arrived.

Security was tight on Delos, the number of foreign leaders that was to be present impressed upon all those in charge of the Island. It was truly a joyous occasion and such events were not all that often, the president himself getting involved in the organization of the festivities.

”Sir..! What are you doing here it’s not..! his assistant tried stopping him from meddling with the preparations.

”Just having a look, checking if everything’s fine,” he was quick to stop her from following up with her question.

”The President should not...” she tried again.

”But it’s my pleasure!” he cut her off again.

”But sir, the paperwork needs…” she spoke again.

”Already done!” he replied with a smile on his face.

There were many things that could be said about President Librescu, but one thing was certain, he was a perfectionist. Once the day of launch for the League was established, he had moved his entire staff on Delos to supervise the preparations. Many complained about this, but in the end there was little they could do. It also added to the workload of his assistant, who now had to check for him doing spontaneous trips to various sites on the island whilst trying to keep up with the paperwork implied by her position. Suffice to say, she was not exactly happy with the man.

Now, a few weeks after the move, the preparations were heading towards a closure and the guests and friends of the Principality were expected to arrive. It was quite surprising for Librescu to receive news from his Lamonian about interest expressed in the League by another nation, but the news were well received and preparations were made for diplomatic ties to be opened with Monavia.



Greetings from the Principality of Damirez ,

We are glad to learn from our friends in Lamoni about the interest expressed by your nation in joining the Delian League and we are honoured to invite a representative of your nation at the public announcement of the organization and should such an individual decide to lay down his signature as a representative of your nation on the documents marking the entrance of Monavia into the League then all for the better.

In order to further diplomatic ties, we have also submitted a request to your foreign ministry regarding the establishment of a Damiran embassy on Monavian soil.

Signed:
President of The Principality of Damirez
Liviu Librescu



Following the excellent recommendations that the nation of Lamoni made regarding the Monavians, entrance of the nation in the League was not considered to be an issue, further checks only confirming what the Lamonians communicated.

”And now to get this show on the road…” president Librescu whispered as he made the final adjustments to the suit he was to wear at the meeting. Everything was prepared, the foreign leaders on their way and his assistant happy for a change.

President Stinson was the first to arrive, soon followed by the Mephrasi, Wagdian and Manthian representatives and afterwards by a relative surprise, a representative from Stevid, an ally and a friend of the Principality, and then the leader of Weccanfeld. It was quite a collection of state leaders and such and Librescu took time to converse with each and every one of them.

As he greeted the foreign representatives, Librescu couldn't help a smile at Christine, the leader of Wagdog, the long debates he had with the woman still fresh in his mind.

”Welcome, I trust you had a good flight?” he asked the Manthian leader Saad al-Baradei, one very surprising addition to the Delian League, yet quite a valuable one.

As the various leaders were arriving, a less common scene was occurring. Alexander Rayne, now a high ranking diplomat, despite his… adventures was waiting for the Mephrasian Empress, his face shining with happiness the moment he saw her.

”Mei…”

OOC: With delays due to RL, finally posted. Is there a Monavian representative with the Lamonian president? I would have approached Stinson first, but I need to know if there's a Monavian representative with him. Will address each leader in particular as the thread unfolds.

OOC: If Monavia wishes it so, there will be. If not, then not.

OUT OF CHARACTER:

I was fortunate enough to be able to reply early.

IN CHARACTER:

The Foreign Minister contacted President Stinson of his CD-5 Communications Device. He then told him what was to be done.

"Mr. President, I am pleased to announce that we are sending our appointed Ambassador to the Principality of Damirez. I am also being sent to accompany him, along with two aides. A stenographer will be sent as well to record the proceedings, and more staff will wait on the plane to Damirez to take care of other business.

"I wish to know what can be done as far as security is concerned. I also would like to know how we are to travel to Damirez. If you can tell me more, I can arrange a trip there with the King and Queen."

"We are taking LAF 1 to the Damiren island of Delos for the first public meeting of the League. You are more than welcome to come with us if you wish. Also, the government of Damirez has promised us that security on Delos will be as tight as possible. You may bring some security agents if you wish, but we would ask if you could keep it down to two of them."

This was sent as a message between the CD-5's belonging to President Stinson and Mr. Carter.

That day, Mr. Carter visited with the King and Queen to discuss the matter. He then told them about the accommodations that were in place in Damirez. After a while, he left to return to his office and prepare for a trip to Lamoni.

The next day, Mr. Carter got up at dawn, and traveled to his office to meet with the newly-appointed Ambassador to Damirez, Steven Morris. Mr. Morris and his associates were gathered around the Minister's desk, and were already awaiting his arrival. They were deep in conversation when he entered the room.

"Mr. Carter, it is most wonderful to enjoy the presence of your company on this fine morning!" Mr. Morris said. He looked at his watch to be sure that the time was right, and then sat back down in his seat.

Mr. Carter now spoke about the state of affairs that had now come to exist in the international community, and the group soon began preparing arrangements for the journey ahead. A mesaage was faxed to the Foreign Minister of Lamoni about having LAF-1 pick up the delegation in Monavia, and then carry the passengers and crew to Damirez.

After the letter was faxed out, the group partook of a copious quantity of tea, and then adjourned its meeting to deal with their own personal business for the day.

After a message had been sent back to Mr. Carter in Monavia, LAF 1 landed in Chalcedon at the appointed time. The Monavian delegation boarded, and after being refueled; it took off.

"So Mr. Morris, what do you think of your assignment to Damirez?" Foreign Minister Ley asked.

Mr. Morris sat in one of the many chairs in LAF-1, now looking up to speak with Ms. Ley. He was in a cheerful mood, as this was jhis first assignment to a nation that Monavia had made new contact with. He had a most boisterous demeanor around him, and an aura of happiness now moved throughout the cabin of the plane. Mr. Morris spoke to Ms. Ley.

"Since you were so kind as to ask, I find this assignment to be a positive way of building a future relationship with a foreign power. I believe that the Damirian government will be welcoming us with much pomp and circumstance, and that they will relish the opportunity to have the pleasure of our presence at the conference," Mr. Morris said in his well-spoken voice.

"Of all of the things to be done here, I will really love to meet with all of the representatives of the foreign nations. Mr. Carter visits other countries often, and it fits his job well. He also likes to help in the selection process concerning Ambassadors. After all, someone needs to pick out the most qualified people for the job."

After taking off and clearing Monavian airspace, LAF 1 headed directly for the Damiren island of Delos.

Inside, Ms. Ley responded to Mr. Morris. "Yes, it can be exciting to begin diplomatic relations with previously unknown nations. This is a process that we have plenty of experience in. As for Damirez, yes it will be likely for them to greet us with pomp and circumstance. We will all be in at the public announcement of a major alliance. And, dependent on your orders, your country will be joining the alliance as well.

Have you had the chance to meet a diplomatic representative other than us yet, Mr. Morris? I'm curious about your experiences."

As the ship neared the island complex, Mei sat in her cabin before a mirror, fretting over her appearance. As she ran a brush through her hair, thoughts passed of how she should present herself for this occasion. She knew that representatives from countries throughout the world would be coming, and she wanted to project an elegant, yet strong image, showing that Mephras was a power to be reckoned with. Mephras was soon to be sinking two trillion dollars annually into this project, and the people expected results. I hope that our voice will be heard among the crowd. She sighed gently, realizing the difficultly of the task ahead. She finished setting her hair, and called for her maid to discuss clothing. "Marguerite, what do you think of this one?"

------------
Several Hours Later

The Imperial Yacht pulled into a small dock near the complex, and the Empress and her entourage prepared to disembark. After preparations had been made, the Empress stepped out onto the island. She squinted lightly as she reached for her sunglass case. The sun was high, and the weather seemed fairly pleasant, similar to the southern areas of Mephras. She was followed closely behind by a younger man in his twenties, Boris Lagare, her newest secretary. He was slim and somewhat bookish, but she could not deny that she fancied him slightly. Of course she hadn't broken her marriage vows, but the nights at the palace could often get lonely.

As she walked towards the conference building, she took a quick self guided tour of the nearby facilities. She had never before seen a complex like this one. The immensity of the buildings and docks, which sprawled, covering almost the entire island was extremely impressive. Of course Mei's knowledge of military installations was rather lacking, but it dwarfed anything she had seen touring Mephrasi bases. "Boris, please note the general layout of the complex, and take notice of the technology used."

In passing, she glanced down at her watch, and realized it was nearing time for the delegates to assemble at the hall. She walked quickly towards the building, and entered into what appeared to be a large receiving room. Men and women in formal attire dotted the room in clusters Most were flanked by servants and secretaries, scribbling furiously as their bosses spoke. A first scanning of the room didn't bring any faces that she knew, however on a second look, she saw the face of her love, her husband. Her heart jumped, and all thoughts of the conference slipped from her mind. She ran to him, and embraced him, their first touch in several weeks. Remembering where she was, she quickly tried to regain her composure, however she could not hide the smile that spread across her face.

"So my dear, what brings you here, business or pleasure?"

Saint Benard, the Monarch of Goldaron watched the proceedings with interest, however current internal politics held him at home. The Parlimentary elections would start soon; the last straw on the camels back for the fuedal nobility, or so he hoped. Not only would it remove the last vestiges of power they thought they had earned by birthright, but it put more control of the nation's direction into the hand of the common man. Soon, he would be able to step down from Monarch and let the people run themselves.. so he hoped. On the flipside he could ignite another civil conflict, the nobility might be practically powerless but they still had money, and the world was full of people willing to do anything for money. For now, no representitive of the State was in attendance.

Mr. Morris looked Ms. Ley closely into her bright eyes. She was attentive, as always, and now waited to his answer. Mr. Morris took a sip of his water, which was standing on a table next to him, and then set it down and continued.

"During the diplomatic meeting with the Salisbrugic Dominion of Cotenshire, when there was a ball and state dinner, I attended both events and met with the foreign guests, including the King of Cotenshire, his son, Prince Peter, and his other prominent high officials.

"I have also dealt with diplomatic secretaries, but I have never met with a foreign Ambassador of the Foreign Minister of other nations."

It was curious that the trip was so...fast for Mr. Morris. He watched as the clock he had brought as a gift to the Lamonian officials mon board now speedily ticked away, taking with it every precious second needed to prepare for the meeting.

As the plane continued to creep over the ocean to Delos, Mr. Carter was feeling anxious as well. He had never dealt with the formation of a new alliance, and explaining the various positions of the Monavian government would take a very long time. He was indeed under a mild state of duress for a brief moment, but he fell asleep over the ocean and drifter quietly along for two hours.

When Mr. Carter awoke, he found himself much refreshed and filled with vitality. He returned to the set of seats where Mr. Morris now sat, writing down an account to the trip so far. Two aides, which sat forward by two rows, were chattering about some vacations that they had taken together a year earlier. This was a sign of comfort to Mr. Carter.

Mr. Carter then looked at Ms. Ley, and asked her about the island of Delos. "Can you describe it for me?" he inquired.

It had been quite some time since Alexander Rayne, now a direct assistant of President Librescu last saw his wife. It hadn’t been easy and for all his Don Juan reputation he had been a faithful man, surprising himself and friends alike with the commitment he demonstrated to his wife. And it wasn’t as if there were no opportunities present. There were many women eager to get in bed with Royalty. ’Royalty, huh?’ Alex’s thoughts on this matter were surprisingly tame, ”I’m not going myself behind my wife’s skirt,” he once told a friend of his. It seemed as if it was his destiny to be shadowed by powerful women, first his sister and now his wife, but despite this irony of life, his words on the matter had not changed, ”Work conquers all!”

His current assignment was quite a pleasurable one, for months now Librescu almost drove him in the ground with the huge volume of work assigned to him, problem after problem rearing their ugly heads at him, almost as if waiting for a chance to take a bite, yet he persevered with the specific Damiran stubbornness and strived towards success. Now the efforts of the President and at a smaller scale his own were about to be repaid. The Organization that was the League was to be officially launched even though it had already existed for quite some time. Obviously this was going to take even more work from him, but he wasn’t complaining about it. There was also the matter of a possible promotion in a very important position as a result of his efforts, but he was not one to be curios about whispers in the wind. ”Whatever comes my way, I’ll handle it!”

And now this, he just couldn’t believe Librescu’s face when he informed him about his assignment for the night, ’Ah yes, Alex, mind if I have a word with you?” the president approached him as he was doing some last minute checks.

”No problem at all, mister President,” he replied and followed Liviu to the man’s office. It was clear that the president wasn’t happy about the formality, but he was more scared about the man’s shadow, that ever present assistant, a woman that took no excuses when it came to doing your job and protocol. Closing the door behind him and following Librescu’s hand motion he seated himself on a chair.

”I forgot to mention this to you Alex, but I have a special assignment in mind for you,” Librescu’s grin suddenly made Alex curios, ”Since your services as guide are highly satisfactory,” a jab at what Alex’s last endeavor as a guide lead to, ”I was thinking maybe you’ll want a redo.” the grin persisted as the President handed a file to Alex. ”I doubt there’s something in there that you don’t already know, but who knows, it might be useful,” the grin was still there.

Opening the folder his eyes were rewarded with a picture of his wife, a surprise, but a pleasant one, ”Thank you mis… Liviu,” he told to the other man as he prepared to leave the office. But just as he closed the door, Liviu called him once more.

”And Alex,” the President threw him a key, ”Make sure you don’t miss the official ceremony,” a wink and a hand wave and he found himself out of the office.

Even now, thinking about that meeting he couldn’t stop wondering, ”And he’s the president.” But his thoughts were cut short as he noticed Mei approaching. A few words were spoken and she was in his arms again. It took all his self control not to use the key the president gave to him, but he managed and thus answered Mei, ”A little bit of both my dear,” he smiled, gently caressing her cheek for a bit before taking a more serious posture, ”But for now let’s attend to business, I’m the official guide for your highness tonight,” and with that he took a bow.

--

Inside the reception room, another fated meeting was about to take place, however this was not between lovers, but between two very important people, one a leader for his people and lately a force for progress, and one the CEO of a company worth a few dozen trillions, and that if you were not to take into account the various branches across the world that the company had.

Joahnathon Cromtoan and Octavius Belisarius, two men of power, two men of prestige and… two men of similar interests?

”A pleasure to have you here First Minister,” Octavius started, glad that he could have a word with the Weccan First Minister before the festivities were to commence, ”I trust that your flight here was without any problems?” a common question to be asked to a traveler and quite a conversation opener, it was however clear that there were further matters to be discussed between the two, huge amounts of money at stakes and the welfare of millions to top it all.

It was a known, or perhaps less known fact that ever since the end of the vicious Weccan-Damiran war, The Principality had made various attempts to mend the wounds and bring the two countries closer, efforts that were now successful with the formation of the League, but amongst those efforts one topped them all. The economic investment, billions if not trillions poured into Weccanfeld, acquiring and modernizing industrial capacities and bringing a better life to all Weccans, however not all were happy and whilst Cromtoan followed the best interests of his people many tried stopping the progress as to not damage their own economic interests. This is why Octavius kept a close eye on what was happening in Weccanfeld and a conversation with the First Minister of the country was always a high priority.

--

Flavius Iulius Belisarius was not a happy man. Although he found meetings and diplomacy essential to the welfare of the nation, he usually found himself more at peace in the barracks of the military or at the military academy. There were also instances in which he had to be locked down by his troops in the HQ, his usual raids across the battlefields giving many a troopers quite a scare and in the end ”But I was dressed just like a regular soldier!” excuse only worked so far when your staff pointed out just how many basic rules he was breaking. Now, stuffed in a suit and forced to participate to the meeting, he was after all the most prominent military figure of the country, he found that he absolutely hated it.

That is why when the opportunity presented itself, he took a hike.

”Emilian, you going out?” he asked the Foreign minister as he saw the older man preparing to leave the chambers and head outside. It might have been considered lack of respect on his part not to address the man more politely, but seeing that Emilian was his instructor, the foreign minister having quite a history in the army, and that the minister almost ordered him ”Fifty now sonnie!” when he first addressed him as minister, well, he thought it was better to be as informal as possible when not in the company of foreign dignitaries.

”As a matter of fact, I am,” Davout replied, but Iulius missed the smirk that appeared briefly on the man’s face, ”Going for a little walk, would you like to join me?”

”My pleasure, one moment here and I’ll get claustrophobic!” the General replied and joined the Minister. They quickly entered Davout’s car, a very luxurious limo when suddenly Iulius realized he had been duped. ”You’re not going for a walk, are you?”

”Nope, you and me are going to greet the Lamonian president and the Monavian representative,” Davout replied, barely restraining his laughter.

”Great! More suits!” Iulius replied, obviously unhappy, but Emilian wasn’t worried about his friend’s attitude. Although unhappy with diplomatic tasks, Iulius was known for treating them with extreme professionalism understanding the need for meetings and negotiations as good as any politician.

”So…” he took a more serious posture, ”Who are we meeting exactly?”

”Glad you asked...” and the impromptu briefing started.

The Lamonians and Monavians were to be greeted with respect and the fast appropriate to such a meeting, just like all the other invited officials. The Damirans made sure that their guests felt well received and with a desire to see more of the country.

--

Fatima’s eyes scanned the growing crowd of influential people looking for someone she wanted to have a conversation for quite some time. Whilst she knew the differences of opinions between the Wagdian leader and that of The Principality, she also knew that the Wagdian society had gone quite a long way since she was instated in charge, something reflected by the happy gleam Octavius Belisarius got in his eyes each time he mentioned Wagdog.

”If nothing else, it’ll be interesting to hear someone else ‘rant’ on slavery,” she voiced her thoughts, knowing all too well that she was guilty as charged in this department, the only other official in the Damiran government that came close being Wallenstein, however the man was a lot more reserved in presenting his views, unless you got him started. It was then that she spotted the foreign leader she wanted to chat with.

“Hello, I trust we’re all well?” ‘Twas best to break hair-raising thoughts with cheer now. “My apologies for any lateness, but I’m here as expected. With luck we can finally get this little ‘association’ public at last, yes?” the other woman asked and Fatima felt obliged to reply.

”About time indeed madame Stewardess,” she addressed Christine Friedrich, ”It’s a pleasure to have you here, I trust all was well with your flight?”

IC: Mr. Carter then looked at Ms. Ley, and asked her about the island of Delos. "Can you describe it for me?" he inquired.

OOC: I'm going to assume that it looks like the RL Delos Island (and describe it as such). Damirez can correct me if he has Delos set up differently.

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=37.392255&lon=25.270615&z=12&l=19&m=a

IC: "The Damiren Island of Delos is a rocky island. It would never be able to support itself by agriculture, but it drew others to it, which helped to feed the population. Now, there has been a lot of construction of facilities on the island. It doesn't take a genius to understand that these facilities are for League use."

---

After LAF 1 landed on Delos, the combined Lamonian/Monavian delegation disembarked from the plane. Foreign Minister Ley was the first person to step onto Damiren soil. The Lamonian ambassador to Damirez was the first person to greet them; after which he would fly back to the embassy. With that formality completed, the delegation met with the Damiren welcoming party.

It had been quite some time since Alexander Rayne, now a direct assistant of President Librescu last saw his wife. It hadn’t been easy and for all his Don Juan reputation he had been a faithful man, surprising himself and friends alike with the commitment he demonstrated to his wife. And it wasn’t as if there were no opportunities present. There were many women eager to get in bed with Royalty. ’Royalty, huh?’ Alex’s thoughts on this matter were surprisingly tame, ”I’m not going myself behind my wife’s skirt,” he once told a friend of his. It seemed as if it was his destiny to be shadowed by powerful women, first his sister and now his wife, but despite this irony of life, his words on the matter had not changed, ”Work conquers all!”

His current assignment was quite a pleasurable one, for months now Librescu almost drove him in the ground with the huge volume of work assigned to him, problem after problem rearing their ugly heads at him, almost as if waiting for a chance to take a bite, yet he persevered with the specific Damiran stubbornness and strived towards success. Now the efforts of the President and at a smaller scale his own were about to be repaid. The Organization that was the League was to be officially launched even though it had already existed for quite some time. Obviously this was going to take even more work from him, but he wasn’t complaining about it. There was also the matter of a possible promotion in a very important position as a result of his efforts, but he was not one to be curios about whispers in the wind. ”Whatever comes my way, I’ll handle it!”

And now this, he just couldn’t believe Librescu’s face when he informed him about his assignment for the night, ’Ah yes, Alex, mind if I have a word with you?” the president approached him as he was doing some last minute checks.

”No problem at all, mister President,” he replied and followed Liviu to the man’s office. It was clear that the president wasn’t happy about the formality, but he was more scared about the man’s shadow, that ever present assistant, a woman that took no excuses when it came to doing your job and protocol. Closing the door behind him and following Librescu’s hand motion he seated himself on a chair.

”I forgot to mention this to you Alex, but I have a special assignment in mind for you,” Librescu’s grin suddenly made Alex curios, ”Since your services as guide are highly satisfactory,” a jab at what Alex’s last endeavor as a guide lead to, ”I was thinking maybe you’ll want a redo.” the grin persisted as the President handed a file to Alex. ”I doubt there’s something in there that you don’t already know, but who knows, it might be useful,” the grin was still there.

Opening the folder his eyes were rewarded with a picture of his wife, a surprise, but a pleasant one, ”Thank you mis… Liviu,” he told to the other man as he prepared to leave the office. But just as he closed the door, Liviu called him once more.

”And Alex,” the President threw him a key, ”Make sure you don’t miss the official ceremony,” a wink and a hand wave and he found himself out of the office.

Even now, thinking about that meeting he couldn’t stop wondering, ”And he’s the president.” But his thoughts were cut short as he noticed Mei approaching. A few words were spoken and she was in his arms again. It took all his self control not to use the key the president gave to him, but he managed and thus answered Mei, ”A little bit of both my dear,” he smiled, gently caressing her cheek for a bit before taking a more serious posture, ”But for now let’s attend to business, I’m the official guide for your highness tonight,” and with that he took a bow.

--

Inside the reception room, another fated meeting was about to take place, however this was not between lovers, but between two very important people, one a leader for his people and lately a force for progress, and one the CEO of a company worth a few dozen trillions, and that if you were not to take into account the various branches across the world that the company had.

Joahnathon Cromtoan and Octavius Belisarius, two men of power, two men of prestige and… two men of similar interests?

”A pleasure to have you here First Minister,” Octavius started, glad that he could have a word with the Weccan First Minister before the festivities were to commence, ”I trust that your flight here was without any problems?” a common question to be asked to a traveler and quite a conversation opener, it was however clear that there were further matters to be discussed between the two, huge amounts of money at stakes and the welfare of millions to top it all.

It was a known, or perhaps less known fact that ever since the end of the vicious Weccan-Damiran war, The Principality had made various attempts to mend the wounds and bring the two countries closer, efforts that were now successful with the formation of the League, but amongst those efforts one topped them all. The economic investment, billions if not trillions poured into Weccanfeld, acquiring and modernizing industrial capacities and bringing a better life to all Weccans, however not all were happy and whilst Cromtoan followed the best interests of his people many tried stopping the progress as to not damage their own economic interests. This is why Octavius kept a close eye on what was happening in Weccanfeld and a conversation with the First Minister of the country was always a high priority.

--

Flavius Iulius Belisarius was not a happy man. Although he found meetings and diplomacy essential to the welfare of the nation, he usually found himself more at peace in the barracks of the military or at the military academy. There were also instances in which he had to be locked down by his troops in the HQ, his usual raids across the battlefields giving many a troopers quite a scare and in the end ”But I was dressed just like a regular soldier!” excuse only worked so far when your staff pointed out just how many basic rules he was breaking. Now, stuffed in a suit and forced to participate to the meeting, he was after all the most prominent military figure of the country, he found that he absolutely hated it.

That is why when the opportunity presented itself, he took a hike.

”Emilian, you going out?” he asked the Foreign minister as he saw the older man preparing to leave the chambers and head outside. It might have been considered lack of respect on his part not to address the man more politely, but seeing that Emilian was his instructor, the foreign minister having quite a history in the army, and that the minister almost ordered him ”Fifty now sonnie!” when he first addressed him as minister, well, he thought it was better to be as informal as possible when not in the company of foreign dignitaries.

”As a matter of fact, I am,” Davout replied, but Iulius missed the smirk that appeared briefly on the man’s face, ”Going for a little walk, would you like to join me?”

”My pleasure, one moment here and I’ll get claustrophobic!” the General replied and joined the Minister. They quickly entered Davout’s car, a very luxurious limo when suddenly Iulius realized he had been duped. ”You’re not going for a walk, are you?”

”Nope, you and me are going to greet the Lamonian president and the Monavian representative,” Davout replied, barely restraining his laughter.

”Great! More suits!” Iulius replied, obviously unhappy, but Emilian wasn’t worried about his friend’s attitude. Although unhappy with diplomatic tasks, Iulius was known for treating them with extreme professionalism understanding the need for meetings and negotiations as good as any politician.

”So…” he took a more serious posture, ”Who are we meeting exactly?”

”Glad you asked...” and the impromptu briefing started.

The Lamonians and Monavians were to be greeted with respect and the fast appropriate to such a meeting, just like all the other invited officials. The Damirans made sure that their guests felt well received and with a desire to see more of the country.

--

Fatima’s eyes scanned the growing crowd of influential people looking for someone she wanted to have a conversation for quite some time. Whilst she knew the differences of opinions between the Wagdian leader and that of The Principality, she also knew that the Wagdian society had gone quite a long way since she was instated in charge, something reflected by the happy gleam Octavius Belisarius got in his eyes each time he mentioned Wagdog.

”If nothing else, it’ll be interesting to hear someone else ‘rant’ on slavery,” she voiced her thoughts, knowing all too well that she was guilty as charged in this department, the only other official in the Damiran government that came close being Wallenstein, however the man was a lot more reserved in presenting his views, unless you got him started. It was then that she spotted the foreign leader she wanted to chat with.

“Hello, I trust we’re all well?” ‘Twas best to break hair-raising thoughts with cheer now. “My apologies for any lateness, but I’m here as expected. With luck we can finally get this little ‘association’ public at last, yes?” the other woman asked and Fatima felt obliged to reply.

”About time indeed madame Stewardess,” she addressed Christine Friedrich, ”It’s a pleasure to have you here, I trust all was well with your flight?”
Seeing Fatima approach, Stewardess Christine was momentarily startled before realizing things were indeed getting started. Thought I’d be waiting a tad… Speaking up she answered, “Very well, thanks. The pleasure is all mine.” Christine had heard some things about this woman, all of them both very good and very moving as well. Another child of Freedom comes home and spites her torturers with achievement; Lady Liberty: 1, Emperor Maximus: 0.

Extending a very warm handshake, Christine met the woman’s eyes and decided to go on. “Now that Maximus has made his powers clear in that horrid APOC bloc of his, I say it’s indeed time a genuinely free commonwealth made itself known.” Scanning around the other guests Christine then went on, “With both the Royal Georgian League and Questarian Commonwealth debasing themselves before a slaver’s throne of skulls, we must be united; we must be aware, and we must be strong.” Christine thought in silence a second before going. “Their own propaganda claims that the sea brings freedom, for bringing trade; but I believe we’ll show them what real freedom from the sea will mean. Our industries shall surpass theirs, for the better trade and confidence in such; our cities shall shine brighter than their slums presided over by palaces built of blood and bones, for the greater care shown our citizens even in a free market; and the no-longer-so-wooden walls of our storm-beaten ships shall as always form a barrier they must first understand, if they can, before they ever delude themselves into thinking they could make us kneel to their hypocrisy.”

Christine slowed for a breath, before finishing. “Sorry to bore if I did, but as you see despite President Librescu being somewhat in disagreement with my… style, of defending Liberty in my land, we nonetheless are much in accord about the more important substance thereof.” She sincerely hoped she hadn’t scared Fatima; in this business, good friends were hard to come by even if Stewardess Christine Friedrich had gathered quite a circle all the same. Hopefully she could extend that here, given all the other meetings she could clearly see even if not join at the moment.

IC: "The Damiren Island of Delos is a rocky island. It would never be able to support itself by agriculture, but it drew others to it, which helped to feed the population. Now, there has been a lot of construction of facilities on the island. It doesn't take a genius to understand that these facilities are for League use."

---

After LAF 1 landed on Delos, the combined Lamonian/Monavian delegation disembarked from the plane. Foreign Minister Ley was the first person to step onto Damiren soil. The Lamonian ambassador to Damirez was the first person to greet them; after which he would fly back to the embassy. With that formality completed, the delegation met with the Damiren welcoming party.

Mr. Carter approached the doors of the plane, and then stopped to let Mr. Morris exit before him. Mr. Morris also stopped at the door to the plane briefly, but he then decided that it would be better to wait for a proper entrance to be made.

A man who had been brought along for the trip exited the plane, and hastily rolled out a fifty foot long red carpet. He went back to the plane, and waited on board.

Mr. Morris walked down, followed closely by Mr. Carter. They reached the end of the ramp leading from the plane, and then began to walk down the carpeted avenue. Following them was the stenographer and the aides. The party now reached the end of the carpet, and waited for the Damirian welcoming committee to greet them.

As the Lamonian plane got closer and closer to the Island of Delos the limousine carrying the Foreign Minister and his guest reached the airport. Preparations were already made and all protocol settings arranged for, all that was missing now being the guests.

”Stuffy old men in suits?” Flavius half jokingly asked Emilian about the identity of the visitors, he knew that the comment wasn’t right towards their guests, but he felt the need for a small joke before retaking his role as a prim and proper general.

”Now, now, It’s not my fault you felt the need to join me on this one,” the minister replied half smiling himself as they walked towards the terminal. The airport was a new one, specifically designed for civilian use and as a result was quite impressive on the eye, aesthetics favoured over the more functional parts that represented a priority in military and older facilities of this nature.

Who would have thought,” Flavius started, ”That we’d have so much civilian traffic to this island.”

”Times change my friend,” came Davout’s reply, ”It’s hard to believe that only a few years ago this piece of rock had only a few military installations on it.”

”Don’t remind me, I really hated those assignments,” the general replied.

It was quite a transformation for the islands and they both knew that things were definitely changed for Delos, the southern gate of the country. There was however no time to ponder on how the large rocky island transformed, the Lamonian ambassador awaited them and the welcoming procession was about to start.

Finally as their guests got out of the plane and on Damiran soil, Foreign Minister Emilian Davout went forth and greeted them, Flavius following closely.

Welcome to Delos,” the minister spoke warmly.

--


There was one thing that was clear to Fatima as Christine spoke, she was a woman with a mission and she wasn’t afraid to say it out loud. It was true that on certain issues regarding the Wagdian leadership seeing eye to eye was going to be difficult at best, but the general mentality regarding many other issues meant that a close relation was present between the two countries.

”Those who live by the sword, die by the sword” Fatima spoke softly, smiling at the other woman. ”I hold no illusions to what the intentions of Alliances such as those created by the Doomani are, but I’m not in a position to say anything about it,” she continued before pausing for a second, a strange licker in her eyes, ”But that’s politics for you, the game of power where the fates of billions hang in the balance with every decision. I don’t envy President Librescu for his duty, but I can sleep peacefully at night knowing that the country is in capable hands,” a pause before she started again, changing the topic.

There are many benefits to come out of this organization, and I see a golden future for us all, behind these ‘wooden walls’. In the end, no matter how much some will try to repress it, freedom will prevail,” Fatima spoke with conviction, ”It’s only a matter of time.”

The Monavian delegation observed the limosine approaching. As the group proceeded to walk down the carpet, thgey looked around and observed the state of the airport. It was impressive to Mr. Morris, who studied engineering at the University of Capua.

When the delegation had reached the end of the carpet, the members paused to await the arrival of the limosine. When it drove up, and the doors were opened, the delegation arranged themselves into two lines, one in the front, and another behind it. The Damirian Foreign Minister and Flavius stepped out to welcome the Monavian and Lamonian delegations.

The Lamonians had placed themsevles to one side of the Monavians, and both parties began to meet with the Damirian welcoming party.

VDF Bombardier Challenger 605 Callsign VDF Flight Echo Nine ,Holding Pattern Above Delos Island:

Supreme Admiral Charles Hornblower was man of 55 he was around 6ft and had brown hair, blue eyes and was balding. He was as fit as a “young en” as he often said. He was Chief of Staff of the Vetakan Naval Defence Forces and was famous for being laid back and relaxed towards his work. After Supreme Operational Commander Jonathon Stone, Hornblower was the longest serving member of the Vetakan Military, Hornblower like Stone and Pearce had fought during the Civil War and seen action and experience in every major operation the Vetakan Military had been apart of. He was a multi-skilled officer whom had experience in both Battlefield Situations and Desk Command. He had been sent to Delos to represent Vetaka in the formation of the Delian League, he had been sent as Tribal Chieftain Quicksilver felt this Diplomatic Event required a person of Experience and Character and in the Chieftains mind Admiral Charles Hornblower was the man for the job. Problem was Engine Troubles with his Challenger 605 had forced him to land at Andrews Airbase which had caused a hour delay and now was stuck in a holding pattern due to problems on the ground:

“How long?” enquired Admiral Charles Hornblower as he lent over the Chairs of the Pilot and the Co Pilot.

“20-30 Minutes, Sir we are in holding pattern. Some Ground Problem” replied the Co-Pilot

“Damn, we are late as it is. What’s our height?” replied the Admiral

“20,000 feet, Sir” replied the Pilot

“Hmmm take us to Optimum Parachute Range, Ill jump it and Sophie can catch up with me” spoke the Admiral with a sorta daring tone.

“Catch up with you? With all due respect Sir, I am not just your administrative aide I am your Bodyguard. I am Commando Trained. So ill be making the Jump to.” said Sophie over his shoulder a playful tone bathed her words.

The Admiral merely shrugged at her before looking at the Pilot with a sorta “Just Do It” glare. Sophie licked her tongue out at Hornblowers back andAfter a few seconds the Pilot sighed and smiled before speaking:

“Get your Prep on and switch to Channel 3, ill inform Delos Tower”

The Admiral smiled and turned to Sophie whom licked her tongue out yet again, and turned. Together they made their way to the back of the plane and fitted themselves with a Parachute and attached a few items to their harness these being OBSAT PDA’s. After a few minutes Admiral Hornblower spoke into a Two Way Radio:

“ ”M” this is Bond and Miss Moneypenny in position”

Their was a silence before a chuckle and a Stern voice replied:

“Roger take position”

With that Sophie opened the Bombardier Challengers 605 Door and waited the Radio then burst into life this time the sound of Alarms could be heard before the Pilot spoke:

“This is M GO GO GO”

“Roger, Send Dennis with the Laptop and Papers”

With that Admiral Hornblower and Sophie jumped from the plane and descended towards the small island below them a few seconds past before they deployed their chutes and slowed and glided gently down to the island below them. Back aboard the Plane the Door was remotely sealed and the Pilot spoke calmly into his headset:

“Delos Tower this is VDF Flight Echo Nine, we are remaining in holding pattern as ordered. However Admiral Hornblower and his aide Sophie Baxter have decided to parachute to the ground to avoid being later than they already are. Both are skilled Commando Trained Jumpers and are tagged with OBSAT PDA’s standby to receive Tracking Frequencies. Echo Nine Out”

OOC: Sorry I am Late and Sorry about the Enterance, I just couldn't help myself :p

The Lamonians had placed themselves to one side of the Monavians as the Damiren welcoming committee approached; and the Lamonian ambassador to Damirez was standing next to President Stinson.

Finally as their guests got out of the plane and on Damiran soil, Foreign Minister Emilian Davout went forth and greeted them, Flavius following closely.

"Welcome to Delos,” the minister spoke warmly.

Foreign Minister Ley responded to Damirans. "Thank you. I am Foreign Minister Tanya Ley of the Free Republic of Lamoni. To my left is President Stinson and our ambassador to Damirez. It is an honor to be here, Foreign Minister Davout." Foreign Minister Ley then shook hands with both the Damiran FM and General clearing the way for President Stinson to do what heads of state/government did best.

Still awaiting acknowledgement by the Damirians, the Monavian delegation waited next to the Lamonians.

Something always disturbed Joahn whether he traveled to the Principality. And it wasn't the flight.

The Damirians were a sort he still harboured an ancient hatred for in the deepest regions of his heart. Perhaps it was the career in the army; perhaps it was the propaganda of the type he still advocated in the army; maybe it was even envy of the Damirian success. Either way, standing there in front of a rich businessman who hailed from the Principality was an immediate cause for manners, not to mention old memories of old rivalries.

The man was a classic businessman, most probably half his age, although the minor superiority he felt in that regard had worn away from their previous meetings, leaving only the fact that he commanded a nation rather than a mere company reassuring him.

But Joahn had learnt long ago that in the world of international politics, a stiff upper lip was essential, much more so than in the dark confines of the Weccanfelt cabinet, thus he was convinced that, unless the man was psychic, his personal feelings were unknown to Octavius. And besides, the man had money to invest in Weccanfeld.

A lot of it.

”A pleasure to have you here First Minister,” Octavius started, glad that he could have a word with the Weccan First Minister before the festivities were to commence, ”I trust that your flight here was without any problems?”

The courtesy was appreciated, the question was not. He hated anything to do with planes, most especially flying on them. For a man that had started flying at Octavius's age, such was and had always been an unpleasant experience. Sighing in his mind, he replied to the man in Modern English:

"No. I did not like flying. For me, to fly is not nice. But thank you."

He sighed within again - he could never get the hand of new English, and such was clear in the disconfidence in which he spoke it. Despite that, he eagerly awaited a reply from the man. After all, that man quite clearly had business on his mind - it was likely he did most if not all of the time.

”Now this isn’t something you get to see every day,” one of the soldiers dispatched to retrieve the Vetakan representatives from their landing spot spoke as he saw the two parachutes getting closer and closer to the ground. ”Well, at least not since the President was forbidden to do this by that assistant of his, he continued, a shiver passing over him at the mere mention of that assistant from hell, the woman regarded by many as responsible for the welfare of their president.

”Yah, I don’t think I’ll ever witness a head of state trying to sneak on a plane for a jump,” one of his comrades added smiling, ”That and the way that woman caught him,” again, a shiver and something akin to understanding crossing their features.

All the conversation stemmed from the fact that Liviu Librescu was a plane maniac like most of the Damirans, and like many others in his country, he loved diving in the sky. Issue was that despite his best efforts with paperwork and dodging his assistant, he got few chances to do so. And after last weeks show, well it was doubtable they were going to see him trying again.

”That woman… she’s harsh,” those around the soldier saying this nodded in agreement. They weren’t rookies, many of them serving in the previous Mephrasi war, but they weren’t fools either, ”Hell hath no furry like a woman scorned!”

As their two guests reached the ground, the soldiers made haste to greet them and help them with the parachutes, one of them, a high ranking officer as revealed by his suit as opposed to the fatigues worn by the rest of the soldiers extending his hands and the greetings of Damirez to the Vetakan admiral.

”I’d wish though that you did the jump on the other side of the island,” he said as he shaked the other man’s hand, ”This way it’s going to take us some time to get to the ‘party’.”

--

Back at the party Octavius had no problems with keeping a pleasant smile on his face. He knew that his interlocutor was an old and shrewd fox and greatly enjoyed the fact. After all it’s not every day that you encounter someone you don’t have to explain every little detail for them to understand the bigger picture. He had more money to invest in Weccanfeld, Joahn knew that he had money and that made the conversation easy.

To many in the old guard it may have came as a surprise, this eagerness of his to invest money in the Weccan nation, but for the past ten years his exploits in Weccanfeld proved to be highly lucrative, despite what he perceived to be a lingering resentment towards Damirez from the older generations. It didn’t matter to them that many of the older Weccans looked with doubt in their eyes at his progress or the fact that even some of the older Damirans had doubts about him. In the end it was the future that mattered and for now it looked bright, bright and full of profits.

Bringing his thoughts back to the matters at hand, Octavius opened his mouth again, this time speaking the Weccan dialect of the English language, something he found rather fascinating from a linguistic point of view, given his minor preoccupation for foreign languages.

”I am sorry to hear that First Minister, perhaps travelling at sea would be better for the return trip?” he spoke in Weccan as a sign of respect for the other man.

--

At the airport Foreign Minister Davout replied to his Lamonian counterpart, ”I assure you, it’s our pleasure to have you here,” he said before introducing general Belisarius, ”Allow me to introduce General Belisarius,” the general took a rigid, typical military position in front of the woman and saluted before engaging in minor conversation with her and the Lamonian ambassador.

And I presume you would be Mr Carter and Mr Morris?” Davout spoke pleasantly to the Monavian representatives, ”A pleasure having you here,”

Although directing his attention at the Monaviuans at the moment, Davout didn’t lose track of the General or of the Lamonian president who was coming out of the plane, just waiting to get the greetings out of the way so that he could ‘escort’ his foreign guests to the festivities.

"We are who you say we are. I am Mr. Carter, and this is mr. Morris," said Mr. Carter, ans he directed his attention to Foreign Minister Davout. "I most humbly offer my thanks for your kind and gracious invitation to have us join you at this conference."

As all of the introductions were going on, President Stinson was walking off of the plane. Before he reached the rest of the group, he got a message on his CD-5. Glancing at it, he saw that the thirty divisions worth of equipment that he had ordered General Hamsher to buy from Lyras had been purchased.

As he put his CD-5 away, he walked towards the rest of the group with a smile on his face.

Hornblower smiled as he shook the Damirans hand he beamed warmly at them irrespective of rank and diplomatic protocol. He chuckled to himself at the Soilders Comments before replying:

"Shame? Do you guys have transport? If not can we make for the party on foot and make a pit stop at a local public house or bar?"

Hornblower wasn't a alcoholic, far from it. However he liked to be open and approachable to his men and colleagues. As such during his years Commanding the Vetakan Navy he did his best to go drinking with the new officer recruits and talk to them. It had been a policy that was well liked amongst the Personnel of the Vetakan Navy. Hornblower smiled at Sophie whom licked her tongue out as she moved her long brown hair out of her face and behind her ears. Sophie smiled and winked at the Admiral before turning to the Damirans:

"So Gents, Who do we have the pleasure of meeting?"

Bump.

”Well, I’m afraid that we’d have to do a bit of a detour to get to a pub and we’re already running late for the meeting. But if you’d like to share a drink with the men, we’ve got a mini bar in the back of that truck,” the higher ranking officer present spoke pointing towards a truck and a couple of other vehicles. ”Standard protocol for situations like these,” at this the man couldn’t help but crack a smile, since this was far from what one would expect from foreign diplomats.

In the meantime the soldiers behind the officer took a more serious posture, even though the smiles remained on their face, waiting for the customary greetings to end and for the admiral to pick either the truck or one of the cars as means of transportation. If the man picked the truck then, with all the regret involved, would have to ‘sacrifice’ themselves for the good of diplomacy and share a drink or two with the man, otherwise it would be just another one of those escort rides.

”Forgive my manners,” the man talking to the Vetakan Admiral spoke again, ”I’m Admiral William Olsen, currently governor of Delos. Now, shall we?” he invited his guest to the awaiting vehicles. It was perhaps curious for the Admiral to be dressed like a normal soldier and not in a suit according to his rank, but it was somewhat of a habit for him to do this as to inspect his men and spend time with them, so nobody on the Damiran side was surprised by this, the Vetakan guests were however another story.

--

At the airport, Foreign minister Davout and General Belisarius enjoyed themselves with the Lamonian and Monavian guests, making minor conversation with them as the Lamonian president approached the group.

”I assure you, the pleasure is all ours,” Davout replied to the Monavian representatives, the smile never leaving his face. ”We hope that your presence here signals greater thing to come between our two nations, after all president Stinson had only good things to say about your nation,” a quick look revealed that the Lamonian president was near the group and Emilian greeted the man before inviting his guests to the waiting limos, ”That is, unless you wish to refresh yourself,” he mentioned, the airport equipped with all the required accommodations that foreign dignitaries would need to for such a purpose.

The delegation walked past Mr. Davout and General Belisarius to the waiting limosines. They all boarded the vehicles and waited for their hists to accompany them to their next destination. When all of the people had entered the limosines, the doors were shut by a valet and the guests started on their way to the airport buildings.

In one of the vehicles, Mr. Carter spoke to Foreign Minister Davout. "I am greatly and humbly pleased with your offer, and I will be most happy to oblige." He looked at a rack of beverages across from him, and picked out a bottle of flavored water, and opened it up. The refreshments were of the highest quality, and Mr. Carter thanked Mr. Davout warmly for the water.

"I am also flattered by your report of what President Stinson has told you about us. The Monavian Empire devotes itself to spreading good will and friendship to its neighbors. We extend our gratitude to you and the Damirian government. I believe that thes organization will be ultimately beneficial to the Monavian Empire," Mr. Carter said.

Bump.

President Stinson returned the greeting from the Damiren Foreign Minister. "Thank you for you warm welcome, Foreign Minister Davout. It is always a pleasure to visit your fine nation. As for the offer of refreshments, I think that we will be fine until we reach the conference site."

With further friendly chatter between the representatives of the three nations, they boarded the limos, and were taken to the meeting hall.

Entering the building, Foreign Minister Ley noticed that she had more than a few admirers. She was used to this, however; and it amused her more than anything. Turning to face General Belisarius, she asked, "General, what would you think if I offered Damirez an opportunity to join in on the Lamonian CD-5 manufacturing and design process?"

Mr. Morris could not help but overhear. He thought to himself for a moment about the thought of new technology proliferating, but he then remembered what he was sent over to Delos to accomplish.

The party continued down the hall.

The foreign minister of the Principality listened closely to the words of Carter. As expected there was indeed great potential for the relations between the two countries, but the man was going out of his way to be as pleasant as possible and those efforts were not ignored. ”We reassure you that the organization will be extremely beneficial for the Monavian Empire,” he replied to Mr Carter, ”It also opens up new possibilities for your economy and I guarantee that several corporations in Damirez talk about investments abroad. President Stinson may confirm the excellent results that our involvement had with the Lamonian economy.”

Having talked for hours and hours Davout felt that his neck went dry and decided to take a glass of water himself. It was one of the products he insisted on having with him wherever he went given the relative limited availability of the product across the world, mostly due to the lack of supply, the factory bottling this particular brand of water exploiting a dwindling resource.

”If I might ask,” he started again as he gently placed the glass down, ”Could you tell me a bit or two about the history of Monavia?” Truth be told Davout already knew some things about the Monavians having done his research, but he wanted to see what the view of the Monavians was about their country and if he could listen to the history and particularities of the country from one who knew it by living there.

--

It amused Belisarius to see the looks that Minister Ley was gathering from quite a fair share of the men in the room. He had to admit to himself that the woman was indeed a looker, but refrained from making any assessments on her based only on looks. The fact that she was a minister spoke highly of her, but he knew from experience that much hid behind the surface in the world and never was that more true than in the case of a woman.

As the Foreign Minister asked him a question, Flavius quickly answered, his attention no longer wavering on matters long since done, ”I must admit, the concept is definitely interesting,” he replied, ”I’m not exactly the best person to ask about this,” he recognized his lack of knowledge in this area, ”But this sort of device on the civilian markets would be a hit, even though there’s definitely going to be some stiff competition for it.”

Even though it was obvious that the general had little idea about the product in a civilian context, he was familiar with older, similar products used by the military, so he couldn’t help but ask about some more details on the product, ” Could you offer me a bit more details about this design?”

"We reassure you that the organization will be extremely beneficial for the Monavian Empire," he replied to Mr Carter, "It also opens up new possibilities for your economy and I guarantee that several corporations in Damirez talk about investments abroad. President Stinson may confirm the excellent results that our involvement had with the Lamonian economy."

"I see it as an open possibility and a sign of progress. Perhaps we could discuss the finer points of the Delian League's operation and the way it would work. For now, I would like to tell you more about the economics of the Monavian Empire." Mr. Carter glanced in the direction of Ms. Ley, now attentive to the way she interacted with the other delegates. He had spent some time taking note of the way she was able to communiocate with the other representatives, and he was most pleasantly surprised by what he saw.

Glancing back at Mr. Davout, Mr. Carter began to finish what he had to say. "The Monavian Empire," he began, "has always followed a system akin to regulated capitalism. Even in its very beginning, We followed a system of free enterprise, though there were cases in which regulations were put in place to stabilize the economy. Its system has enjoyed a high approval and popularity rating among the populace."

Mr. Carter continued. "While the majority of businesses are owned and operated soley by corporations or private individuals, the federal government and some provincial governments do own and operate a small number of their own companies. They do this to raise money so that they do not have to use other means of obtaining it, such as raising taxes. They also do it so that they can produce some of their own goods and services, rather than have to buy them."

"Politicians and officials can obtain a better knowledge and understanding of the economy and at the same time participate in it because of this system. At the same time, only public services, such as the postal service and the welfare service are nationalized and put under federal or provincial control. In general, there is free enterprise in which there is little interference."

"While there is much regulation concerning what constitutes dfair and morally sound business practices, other than enforcing financial laws, citizens enjoy a relitively free economy. I can give you more details later."

”If I might ask,” he started again as he gently placed the glass down, ”Could you tell me a bit or two about the history of Monavia?”

"As for the history of the Monavian empire, I can say little at the moment. While I am well versed in the subject, I am unable to give you a full description of it here. It would take hours at best, and besides, we have business to attend to. I believe that the conference will begin shortly."

Mr. Carter now waited for what would be the next thing to happen.

TO ALL MEMBERS AND FUTURE MEMBERS OF THE DELIAN LEAGUE

THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

1. If you are a part of this thread titled "A Treasury Under the Sun", please join the offsite forum.

2. If you have already joined the offsite forum, please post there and become active.

Thank you.

It amused Belisarius to see the looks that Minister Ley was gathering from quite a fair share of the men in the room. He had to admit to himself that the woman was indeed a looker, but refrained from making any assessments on her based only on looks. The fact that she was a minister spoke highly of her, but he knew from experience that much hid behind the surface in the world and never was that more true than in the case of a woman.

As the Foreign Minister asked him a question, Flavius quickly answered, his attention no longer wavering on matters long since done, ”I must admit, the concept is definitely interesting,” he replied, ”I’m not exactly the best person to ask about this,” he recognized his lack of knowledge in this area, ”But this sort of device on the civilian markets would be a hit, even though there’s definitely going to be some stiff competition for it.”

Even though it was obvious that the general had little idea about the product in a civilian context, he was familiar with older, similar products used by the military, so he couldn’t help but ask about some more details on the product, ” Could you offer me a bit more details about this design?”

Before speaking, Tanya held out her own CD-5 for the General to look at. "As you can see, the CD-5 LOOKS like a large cell phone. While it can perform all of the functions of a cell phone, it can also do SO much more than that. You can call anyone on the planet via satellite with either voice or text. It will also let you send e-mails, and even access both military and civilian radio frequencies. The CD-5 can do all of this with one million bit encryption, which has yet to be penetrated to the best of our knowledge.

Normally, such a device would be monstrously large, but the CD-5 takes advantage of miniaturization; which allows it to be it's present size. We have given examples of this technology to both Monavia and Neo-Ixania; but it is our feeling that together with Damiren assistance, we could market the technology to nations that both of our nations can agree on. Also, both Damirez and Lamoni would get an automatic discount on any CD-5's that they wish to purchase. Do you have any more questions, General?"

OOC: Depending on my PC's endurance this may be short but yes I do want something in.
"Indeed it is only a matter of time dear." Christine was happy for once that what would premiere today might indeed remain the defensive organization it was supposed to be. She'd somehow seen the now dormant United Federation of Allied Nations turn from a defensive alliance between her own nation and Vetaka into a supremely interventionist multilateral bloc due to the simple and perhaps understandable (after remembering its' terms) sin of taking itself too seriously. Something which, as Secretary-General of said bloc, Christine had borne no small responsibility about occasioning either; but the past was the past and there was nothing to do but change as could and move on.

"Have you met any of the others arriving today?" Christine knew who was invited as-such, and didn't doubt all or the vast majority would show. Still, as she and Fatima strolled through the reception Christine figured she'd meet some new friends yet; already she could make out Vetaka's belated rep Admiral Hornblower, whom she discovered she was heading towards in a roundabout fashion along with his own party at the moment. Might as well continue and link up with another old friend before business was gotten down to at last.

OOC: Sorry I've been busy with exams. Apologies for brevity.

IC: Mei stood by the side of her husband, and once again surveyed the room. "My dear, I must confess that I don't think I know anyone in this room." She reflected on the recent history of her country, and it's rather isolated state before then. Mephras had seen countless countries emerge from the shadows, only to be quickly swallowed by the expansionist powers of the world. Futhermore, she couldn't honestly claim that her country was warlike, or that the military could seriously challenge even minor world players. I hope these people didn't follow the debacle that was our civil war too closely. This was one of the driving forces behind support for the league, as the Mephrasian bureaucracy was more than happy to have help running defensive operations.

She turned to Alex, and spoke quietly, "Your nation wouldn't host a conference without the proper refreshments, I hope?." A quick glance didn't reveal anything, although she couldn't imagine there wasn't any alcohol on the island. "Well, I suppose I should attempt to introduce myself to some of our new allies. Don't want to be perceived as cold now do I?" She summoned Boris, and they headed toward the center of the room, in an effort to find a passerby with which to speak.

Hornblower shook the Damiran Admirals hand with glee and warmth:

“Olsen, Hmmmm?”

Hornblower looked up into the air before clicking his fingers:

“I knew I recognised your name, I read one of your reports during the Foreign Affairs briefing back in New Theeb”

Hornblower looked around at the waiting Vehicles and sighed:

“If It was left to me id have a good old drinking session with your lads but Duty calls besides Christine would tell Pearce whom would in turn have my ass, Get us their as fast as you can”

It was at this point that Sophie playfully interjected on the conversation as she spoke she touched the Admirals arm:

“And that Gents is the Highest Ranking Officer of the Vetakan Navy”

With that the Admiral smiled and gazed longingly at her before speaking:

“So Will lets be going before, I get a phone call from the boss?”

Bump.

”All right gents! Let’s get this baby moving,” Admiral Traian spoke to his men as the final preparations of the gigantic ships were don, ”People need to see this baby,” it was a relaxed, happy tone that he had, one owed to the event at which he was taking part. True, he wasn’t in the hall partying with all the others, but his task was equally important and perhaps, he thought, more significant. ”Nav?”

”Going steady sir, all ships are in alignment, the SSNs have surfaced and are closing in for the parade,” a formally dressed officer replied, his clothes appropriate to the event.

”Good, good, let’s take it up a notch then, increase the speed, we don’t want to be late now, do we?”

”No sir, not at all,” the same cheerful tone was a mark of the replying officer, order relayed to the rest of the Fleet. ”Transmitting orders now.”

The flag ship of the First League Fleet, Hope headed towards the island of Delos. The carrier, Isselmerian in design was the first from many that were to serve the League and protect its interest, the first to mark a new age for Damirez and its allies.

--

”Interesting,” Davout replied to the information provided to him by his Monavian Interlocutor, ”We’re adepts of a free market economy in Damirez, however that is not to mean that a careful system of balances and checks isn’t in place. In addition our own cultural specific makes our system successful, even if somewhat different from others built on the same ideology,” Davout provided some information about the Damiran economic system.

”And given the fact that many of the Damiran companies have stretched across the world, I’d say that this model is quite successful,” he added with a hint of pride in his voice, a bit of nationalism still present in his heart even when working for the good of more than just Damirez.

”Perhaps we will have an opportunity to continue our conversation on these subject another day,” looking at the clock cut short his words on Damirez, ”I’m looking forward to learn more about Monavia, but as you mentioned, there are other things to do at the moment.” Davout checked the clock knowing that the main event of the evening was getting closer and closer. ”Perhaps you should have a look at the charter of the League before we start?”

--

”I have to admit that the prospect seems interesting,” Flavius answered Minister Ley, ”I can recommend the producers of the CD 5 a few business men here in Damirez that would be interested in such a project,” he replied before adding as an afterthought, ”Although I suspect some of them are already familiar with the prospect,,” his mind wandering to his brother, the heir to the family business and the only one amongst the siblings that actually enjoyed running a multi trillion company, or was that a few dozen trillions? He actually had no idea how rich the family and his brother actually was. It was enough to know that he had more money than he could count in his entire life, or in a few hundred human lives for that matter. Shrugging of those thoughts, Flavius started talking again.

”Perhaps the CD 5 could get some benefits from some rather recent advancements done in miniaturization here, or some software company would find it a challenge to improve the coding,” the general spoke about some possibilities before asking a question that popped on his mind out of the blue, ”Do you commonly use a CD 5 minister Ley?”

--

”No, not yet,” Fatima replied, ”But the night’s young and there will be plenty of time to get acquainted with more of those here. Quite a blend of personalities we have here,” she looked around at the various representatives gathered in the hall searching for someone with interest, ”I wonder how many cocktails president Librescu is going to have by the end of the night,” she chuckled at the though of finally seeing the man with just a few over the top.

Finally after a brief moment of silence as she and Christine were offered a drink by a passing waiter she spoke again, ”Although if that man gets under the table before we do it would be a miracle. I assume you are familiar with that Stewardess?” it was more of an innocent question than anything else one would think if not for the playful twinkle in Fatima’s eyes, the acquisition of new teasing material always a priority!

--

”Don’t worry honey, I have all the information you need here,” Alex pointed a finger to his head, the long hours spent at familiarizing himself with the profiles of all the participants finally paying off. ”I’ll make everything goes smoothly tonight,” he winked fondly at his wife, the long absence of her perfume from his life forgotten now. ”Hopefully none of them remember just how we got together,” he added worriedly, obviously teasing his wife. It was probably a low probability for those present not to know their story. After all it did make good drama material and he was pretty sure that the bids for the rights to publish their story were reaching a few hundred millions now and growing. He had to admit that they were getting insistent about it!

”Why dear, we have any brand of alcohol you can imagine here,” he pointed to the numerous waiters offering drinks to the crowd at his wife’s question, making a discrete sign to one of them, ”Perhaps we should try that old brand of champagne you like?” a mention to the drink that got them drunk the first time they ended up in a bed together, ”Or perhaps you’d like to try something new?”

--

The Damiran Admiral smiled as the Vetakan officer shook his hand returning the shake with the same amount of enthusiasm that Hornblower was showing before adorning a somewhat more serious expression at the mention of the Wagdian and Vetakan leaders.

”Well, we definitely can’t have that! I’m pretty sure they’re already wondering why they’re short on one admiral and why their meeting committee is in the middle of nowhere as it is,” he told the Vetakan representative before inviting the two Vetakans in a car and getting behind the wheel himself.

”No! Admiral!” one of the soldiers yelled before Olsen took off. ”He’s going to scare them for life…” he added as the car vanished from his sight with frightening speed.

”Yep, there’s nothing like Admiral Olsen behind the wheels.”

”Interesting,” Davout replied to the information provided to him by his Monavian Interlocutor, ”We’re adepts of a free market economy in Damirez, however that is not to mean that a careful system of balances and checks isn’t in place. In addition our own cultural specific makes our system successful, even if somewhat different from others built on the same ideology,” Davout provided some information about the Damiran economic system.

”And given the fact that many of the Damiran companies have stretched across the world, I’d say that this model is quite successful,” he added with a hint of pride in his voice, a bit of nationalism still present in his heart even when working for the good of more than just Damirez.

”Perhaps we will have an opportunity to continue our conversation on these subject another day,” looking at the clock cut short his words on Damirez, ”I’m looking forward to learn more about Monavia, but as you mentioned, there are other things to do at the moment.” Davout checked the clock knowing that the main event of the evening was getting closer and closer. ”Perhaps you should have a look at the charter of the League before we start?”

"Mr. Davout, I am thankful for your kind words about our nation. I am most interested in the provisions of the League Charter. Of course, the Charter is probably of the highest importance. Before we discuss that, I would like to ask about the other representatives of the nations attending."

Rene sat in the leather comfy chair of the heavily customised 787 Dreamliner; the chairs of the aircraft were taken directly from a luxury cruise liner and fitted onto the aircraft in swivel mounts. Over sized slightly but far more comfortable. The entire aircraft was also fitted with missile defence including flares, chaff and soft kill electronic countermeasures and automated evasion. Currently Rene was in the onboard Conference room reading over some of the folders in front of her. Rene hated to fly and avoided it where she could; delegating important tasks to subordinates however this was one event where it was she and only her duty to attend.

When Animarnia had been approached by the Principality it had treated the proposal will scepticism this was in part due to Animarnian pride and because the Principality was so new to international politics it was nearly unthinkable that they could actually pull it off. However as time went on and the idea started for form Rene had changed her position and started to actively push the league. First in secret cabinet meetings then with closed sessions of the senate in tense negotiations until a consensus was reached and Animarnia had joined the league entirely in secret. Several resources had already been outsource without anyone being the wiser; in fact the Summeridge and Cork Shipyard had already been drafted to help produce the League navy and several destroyers and cruisers were already in various stages of completion.

As the presidential VIP transport touched down; Rene stood up and ran her hands down her pristine powder blue suit and skirt combination; her dirty blonde hair tied back and up into a bob with various bangs hanging loose from the sides. She adjusted her thin rimmed glasses; which covered her hazel eyes. With her; Elaine Valentine the ever present assistant; Sam her bodyguard and Captain Micelles this months ‘Ball Carrier’ in full marine uniform with the silver suit case cuffed to his arm.

As the aircraft pulled into the terminal gate; Rene and her delegation made there way down into the terminal building hopefully where they would be met by someone…

”I have to admit that the prospect seems interesting,” Flavius answered Minister Ley, ”I can recommend the producers of the CD 5 a few business men here in Damirez that would be interested in such a project,” he replied before adding as an afterthought, ”Although I suspect some of them are already familiar with the prospect,,” his mind wandering to his brother, the heir to the family business and the only one amongst the siblings that actually enjoyed running a multi trillion company, or was that a few dozen trillions? He actually had no idea how rich the family and his brother actually was. It was enough to know that he had more money than he could count in his entire life, or in a few hundred human lives for that matter. Shrugging of those thoughts, Flavius started talking again.

”Perhaps the CD 5 could get some benefits from some rather recent advancements done in miniaturization here, or some software company would find it a challenge to improve the coding,” the general spoke about some possibilities before asking a question that popped on his mind out of the blue, ”Do you commonly use a CD 5 minister Ley?”


"I am sure that the producers of the CD-5 would like that very much, General. I am sure that it would be improved by further miniaturization and software coding." She was about to say more, but the General asked another question. "Yes, I do commonly use a CD-5 device, General. What is behind that question?"

Hornblower smiled as he slid around the Military 4x4, Hornblowers biggest passion after the Navy and his country was fast cars. Taking the fast ride with Olsen made the Vetakan pine for his favourite fast car a Aston Martin Vanquish. As Hornblower smiled in Glee as Olsen skillfully turned corners and generally put the Vehicles through its paces. Sophie on the other hand was somewhat more green at the ride. Her biggest hatred during Bodyguard training was learning to drive at speed. She had mastered it well enough but she would much prefer to get somebody else to drive whilst she smashed the back window and fired out of it.

Looking at his Bodyguard Hornblower chuckled and out of Olsen and his guards view. Hornblower took hold of his Bodyguards hand and gently stroked it in quiet support. She smiled and blushed slightly. They had hid their relationship for some 6 months, neither of them where married or in other relationships but they knew if their relationship went public. It would cause a scandal within the Military and Government, it would also cost Sophie her job as a result for now they would hide their relationship until they decided the time was right for them to go public.

As the Conference Venue neared Sophie checked her Pistol over ensuring it was fully operative. Hornblower checked his PDA accessing his E-mails besides a last minute briefing from the Foreign Affairs Department and the OBSAT General VDF Brief of the hour their was nothing of importance replacing the small device in his pocket he shouted up to Olsen a smile in his voice:

"Are you Married? If so do you drive your wife around like this?"

OUT OF CHARACTER:

Is it me, or has this thread died?

OOC:No, the thread isn't 'dead'. I just happened to lack time to post in it for the past few days, which I'll be rectifying soon so I can get the show on the road. If in doubt, use a telegram.

Place holder for IC post.

OOC:No, the thread isn't 'dead'. I just happened to lack time to post in it for the past few days, which I'll be rectifying soon so I can get the show on the road. If in doubt, use a telegram.

OUT OF CHARACTER:

Thank you. I could use the advice.

”Certainly, I can definitely see the interest in that,” came Davout’s reply, ”We have quite a number of representatives from various members of the League in the room for this formal occasion. The documents ratifying the existence of the organization have been in effect for quite some time now, but given the nature of the dealings that needed to be done, we agreed that delaying the official announcement of the organization was in the best interests of everybody.

”Now, about the representatives already present here, you already know the Lamonian president so I’ll skip talking about him, so that leaves us with the Mantian president,” a quick look at a man talking with president Librescu, ”Stewardess Christine, representative of the Wagdian state,” another look at the woman that was talking with admiral Fatima, ”Our Weccan friends,” the clouds of smoke obscured the view, the smoking habits of the Southern Novans known all too well to the Damirans, ”And a couple of other representatives are expected, including a Vetakan and Animarnian delegation. Would you like to know more?”

--

Anna couldn’t believe that she was late. ’Just a bit of make up…’ she had told her assistants before leaving for the airport and that little bit of make up turned out into a full blown beauty session. She shouldn’t have trusted herself on this issue, but what was done was done, even if she now had to rush through the large corridors of the airport, with her security contingent and various other officials lagging behind her, it seemed that jogging every day was finally paying off. And, without a minute to spare, she managed to make it to the terminal just as the plane was making the final docking procedures.

Anna’s task was definitely interesting. She was to greet the Animarnian representative and, given the fact that she was already familiar somewhat with the Animarnian officials, this was a pleasant task for herself. Besides, it was either her or her brother, and she wasn’t evil enough to steal Alex the pleasure of greeting his wife, he was already going ballistic from not seeing her for months now!

”Now, listen up,” she tried to deliver some last minute instruction to the staff accompanying her, ”The Animarnians are proud people, proud and above all honest, unless you happen to be on the other end of their wrath,” the mention was made in remembrance of a certain report the woman had read about their guests, ”I expect only the best behaviour from you all, don’t disappoint me.” Anna had her reason for this impromptu speech, seeing that most of her crew was made up from young and, albeit talented, inexperienced diplomats.

Finally, as the Animarnian delegation exited the plane the woman greeted them, a few words leaving her lips.

”Welcome to the island of Delos.”


--

”It’s easy to see the degree of quality a product has if the one advocating it uses it himself,” the general answered the question, ”I’ve had plenty of experiences in this area to know as much,” the truth was that he had a rather extensive education in the area, but his military training often made him ignore his roots and the lessons taught there. It did came in handy however when asking various military suppliers to prove the quality of their equipments by using them themselves first. Quite amazing how many tried trick the army into acquiring sub-par equipment and whilst the domestic companies attempting that were few and far between, those from outside Damirez thought it was Christmas all around the year. It was a wonder that anyone was foolish enough to buy products from such ‘trustworthy’ companies!

”Anyway, I’ll redirect this matter to more capable hands miss Ley, I hope that is acceptable?”

--

The very thought of using the breaks never crossed the admiral’s mind as he raced towards the hall that hosted the event. He wasn’t going to be late! That and he really liked the thrill of driving the car at high speeds, not something he could often indulge in given the fact that more often than not he found himself at sea on the deck of a ship than behind the wheel. And for all the thrills getting painted by enemy radars had, there was no comparison to the adrenalin that pumped in your system when you try to avoid crashing ion the trees waiting on either side of a road.

Despite the fact that all his attention was focused on the road, Olsen couldn’t help but notice the secretive gestures between his two passengers, it was obvious from the start to him that there was more between them than just the professional connection, but he was not one to be inquisitive about the nature of their relation, he would however have no qualms about some good teasing material having learned from Fatima that unless you had ammo it was quite hard to avoid blushing at every turn. It was understandable that the two wanted to keep the relation a secret, often enough this kind of relations were used against those involved in them, but he hoped they were less obvious about it when in the company of the other Damirans.

”Can’t say I’m married, haven’t met the lucky lady yet,” he replied to the Vetakan admiral’s first question, ”But I assure you, if I ever find her she’d be more than happy to be driven around by me, so far I had a lot of cars asking for more, but I suppose you know how it is,” a wink to his passenger, ”And here we are,,” the car stopped and the passengers checked, ”The place of birth for the Delian League.”

”Certainly, I can definitely see the interest in that,” came Davout’s reply, ”We have quite a number of representatives from various members of the League in the room for this formal occasion. The documents ratifying the existence of the organization have been in effect for quite some time now, but given the nature of the dealings that needed to be done, we agreed that delaying the official announcement of the organization was in the best interests of everybody.

”Now, about the representatives already present here, you already know the Lamonian president so I’ll skip talking about him, so that leaves us with the Mantian president,” a quick look at a man talking with president Librescu, ”Stewardess Christine, representative of the Wagdian state,” another look at the woman that was talking with admiral Fatima, ”Our Weccan friends,” the clouds of smoke obscured the view, the smoking habits of the Southern Novans known all too well to the Damirans, ”And a couple of other representatives are expected, including a Vetakan and Animarnian delegation. Would you like to know more?”

"I would, if you do not mind. I understand that the ammouncement of the existance of the League would cause quite stir in the international arena, and its reprocussions would be a source of much debate and suspicion. I do however wonder about the identities of the other representatives.

"I know a few things about the Lamonians, after all, they visited Monavia and signed a friendship treaty and trade agreement with us. They also established an embassy in Monavian territiory. As for the others, I know a little about the Vetekans. President Stinson informed me of a few details. While I would be most pleased to have you fill me in, I understand that they took part in hosting a diplomatic conference recently.

"The conference was actually the third in a series concernijng the institution of slavery, and that they will have no dealings with slave bearing nations. That is all I know about them."

Mr. Carter now sipped more of his water, and relaxed for the moment.

Rene walked down the long terminal catwalk from the aircraft to the main building; her Security detail the regulation 10 paces behind her; electing to be armed with side arms in concealed holsters over any overt ‘penis baring’ as Rene put it; after all the Damirians were quite friendly. Rene walked with her personnel assistant on one side and bodyguard on the other; with the ‘ball carrier’ no more than 30 feet away at any time.

“Thank you” she said with a smile; “its good to be here’ its nice and cool; the homeland is undergoing is frightfully hot weather at the moment” Rene greeted both shaking Anna’s hand and giving the representative a warm and friendly hug. While Rene was greeting everyone her assistant Elaine was already rushing off to the nearest Moonbucks to retrieve a cup of that black gold which Rene loved so much and which she usually lived on in these events.

“I must apologise for our slight delay; affairs of state and all that; this entire trip was almost cancelled; you’ve heard about the dreadful business in Saxbury on the wire no doubt?” Rene said with a sigh. Elaine returned with a disposable cup of brew and Rene took it gratefully and sipped; “Long flights are best orgmented by fresh coffee” Rene said with a grin

”It’s easy to see the degree of quality a product has if the one advocating it uses it himself,” the general answered the question, ”I’ve had plenty of experiences in this area to know as much,” the truth was that he had a rather extensive education in the area, but his military training often made him ignore his roots and the lessons taught there. It did came in handy however when asking various military suppliers to prove the quality of their equipments by using them themselves first. Quite amazing how many tried trick the army into acquiring sub-par equipment and whilst the domestic companies attempting that were few and far between, those from outside Damirez thought it was Christmas all around the year. It was a wonder that anyone was foolish enough to buy products from such ‘trustworthy’ companies!

”Anyway, I’ll redirect this matter to more capable hands miss Ley, I hope that is acceptable?”

"That would be fine, thank you General. What do you know of the other delegations here? We've only had contact with Damirez, Monavia, and Vetaka out of the other nations in the League. Yes, i'm aware that Monavia isn't a member just yet, but I have a feeling that they soon will be, barring some major unforeseen complication. And what about your family? Is there someone special in your life?"

That last question had been covered in the briefing materials, but she figured that it wouldn't hurt to get the man's own take on that.

President Stinson and the rest had already made it to the meeting room, leaving Tanya and the General with their own privacy.

”It would be my pleasure to provide further information on the participants. Perhaps our offices could get in touch? We would have no problem in transmitting casual information to your country and perhaps more delicate intel after your nation joins the Delian League,” Davout replied politely, understanding the curiosity of the Monavian representative. After all the League was made out of a blend of various nations with different styles and ideals, yet bound together by their interest for the future and this organization.

”And yes, we are quite aware of the Vetakan Theeb conference, we had our own representative there. I must say it’s a noble endeavour on their part, given the aggressiveness of nations professing that inhumane practice,” the truth was that Damirez was no fan of slavery either, but Davout knew not to engage himself in a speech about the theme at the moment, having seen what Fatima Al’Hamil was able to do when started on the subject.

”Finally, I can only say this much about the ‘waves’ that the League might generate in the international community. It might indeed cause a stir, but in the end the League’s aimed to further the well being of its member states. I don’t see why that should be a problem for other nations.

Now, perhaps you’d like to take a look over the documents pertaining to the League?” Davout handed a slim dossier to the Monavian representative and waited patiently. The announcement was closing in, fast.

--

”Dreadful affair Saxbury is,” Anna replied politely, her smile never wavering. The incident was closely followed by the DCI and various other agencies and information about what was happening there often reached the ears of those in the Foreign Ministry, she was no exception. It was however not her place to meddle and she was happy to leave it at that. If any action was to be taken by Damirez she wasn’t the one to make the call.

”I hope that you will be able to put that affair out of mind for the next few hours, it wouldn’t do for it to ruin this day for you,” Anna kept her smile, even though her eyes noticed the fact that the Animarnians bodyguards weren’t wearing weapons in plain sight, always a good sign that, ”We’ll have to hurry for a bit in order to catch the ceremony, but I think our drivers have more than enough experience to do that.”

After all the usual pleasantries were exchanged between the two Anna lead the Animarnians to the waiting limousines, she was getting a bit anxious about being late and hoped it didn’t show. Davout wasn’t known for tolerating those that screwed things up. She was a first time offender, but she didn’t want to leave the impression that she was unable to do her job.

--

”I’ll drink to that,” the general replied to Ley’s mention about the Monavians before hearing the Minister’s question. That was a subject that always left him feeling a bit empty. His luck in love wasn’t what most would call the best and even though he had two lovely kids, there was nobody that they could call mother.

”Not at the moment, sadly my life doesn’t allow for much soul searching and what little free time I have is spent taking care of my children. But what about you minister?” he asked teasingly, his initial sadness replaced by a mischievous behavior. The Lamonian representative had no idea what she just started.

OOC: Going to make the announcement soon. I'll probably do one more post tying things up before posting Librescu's official announcement.

"Oh, there's nothing like an long plane flight for these old bones." al-Baradei replied with a part grin, part grimace. "Still it's good to be here. It seems that everything is in place so far, your people have done a fine job from what I can tell. And of course, in Manth things are ready to kick off as soon as everything is made official."

The President looked like getting ready to ramble on for a while, but a staffer stepped up and tapped discreetly on his arm. al-Baradei scowled for a second before turning back to Livrescu.

"Well I'm sure you have a lot of work still to do before the announcement. Best of luck now."

A few more officials in the Manthian party introduced themselves to Livrescu in their turns ("Nicolae Brezeanu, Denomination of Foreign Diplomacy", "Mark Reinhart, pleased to meet you again", etc etc), before they moved on to mingle in the gathering.

OUT OF CHARACTER (OOC):

Thanks for the heads-up about the announcement.

IN CHARACTER:

"I would indeed like to look at the documents. I find the interests of the League to be of importance to me and my government. First, I have a simple question. Can you tell me about how these slavery based nations are so..."aggressive"?

Mr. Carter glanced over to the side, where Mr. Morris was sitting in a chair against the wall. He was drinking some soda that was at the party, and he was planning on having a shot of vodka. Mr. Carter could not understand why Mr. Morris wanted to drink the stuff, he thought that tea was more respectable and that a drink that tasted like rubbing alcohol was not fit for a man of Mr. Morris' status.

Nonetheless, it was only his opinion. All he could do is watch as Mr. Morris finished his soda and began to get his other drink.

”I’ll drink to that,” the general replied to Ley’s mention about the Monavians before hearing the Minister’s question. That was a subject that always left him feeling a bit empty. His luck in love wasn’t what most would call the best and even though he had two lovely kids, there was nobody that they could call mother.

”Not at the moment, sadly my life doesn’t allow for much soul searching and what little free time I have is spent taking care of my children. But what about you minister?” he asked teasingly, his initial sadness replaced by a mischievous behavior. The Lamonian representative had no idea what she just started.

"I am currently unmarried. Not that there haven't been a lot of men pursuing me, but I haven't found the right man for me yet. I am still looking, however. Would you like a drink, General?"

---

In the meantime, the rest of the Lamonian delegation was milling about the room, giving anyone who wished the chance to speak with them.

OOC Note: Damirez will likely not be posting until Monday due to a death in the family. In the meantime, feel free to keep this thing going while he's away. He's left me in charge of this thread until he gets back.

Thank you for the information. I send my condolences to Damirez.

Rene nodded her agreement “Of course” she said taking a sip from her coffee; one of her vices after trashy romance novels she smiled inwardly and following Anna to the waiting motorcade making small talk and idle chat along the way.

“Indeed a terrible shame” Rene began; “Timothy was such a lovely man; he will be missed by us all; unfortunately it falls to me to nominate a replacement too; though the DeLèan is out for eight months with an extensive overhaul” Rene said simply. It certainly wasn’t classified information that the carrier group had been called to port for refit and was easily recognisable with Satellite surveillance anyway. Rene quickly entered the waiting car; while the detail followed in a second car; not wanting to hold Anna up any longer than needed; after all it was well known Davout didn’t forgive mistakes easily and Rene certainly didn’t want to get the young woman in trouble. “You know” she said wiggling her butt into the seat to make herself more comfortable; “I could retire here; the weather is far cooler than the homeland which is usually rather hot; and the number of deadly insects is always a pain” Rene laughed.

Mr. Morris was standing across from Mr. Carter, and was busy looking at a painting on the wall nearest to him. He waited for a moment, but then he realized that he had a duty to preform, and immediately walked over to where President Stinson was located. He stood a few feet away, and waited for him to acknowledge his presence.

"Ah, hello, Mr. Morris," President Stinson said. "What brings you over my way?" President Stinson sat down in one of the chairs, and motioned for Mr. Morris to do the same. "Does this strike you as being worth the trip?"

"I come over to you to ask about the number of potential members that have been invited to join the Delian League. Yes, I believe that this trip was worthwhile. It should bear good fruit in the end," Mr. Morris answered.

"As far as I am aware," President Stinson said, "the nations represented here in this room are those who have been invited to the League to date."

”But of course,” the general replied the mischievous twinkle still in his eyes. ”Might I recommend the champagne? I hear this particular brand,” he grabbed a cup of alcohol from a passing waiter, ”Has quite some surprising side effects,” a brief chuckle as his eyes looked around to find the Mephrasi empress and Alex Rayne, the couple always bringing a smile on people’s faces, ”I’m sure I can get people to confirm that to you. And I assure you, you’ll find the right man when you least expect him.”

--

”That question isn’t as simple as it seems Mr. Carter, but in my opinion this is all relating to resources. A nation that practices slavery is always in need of more slaves otherwise it risks economic and social meltdown, this in turn drives them to be aggressive across their borders and attack other nations.

And to add to that the treatment of slaves, the fact that their basic rights are stripped from them by the use of violence, the fact that they’re often kept in line by aggression or by methodical brainwashing, well, it’s a practice aggressive by nature.” Davout shared his thoughts to the Monavian. It was his view of the affair of slavery and he wasn’t exactly thrilled about discussing the subject at this festivity.

--

”There are quite a few nice places for retirement in The Principality,” Anna replied to the polite comments made by Rene, ”I don’t see myself as leaving the ‘stage’ any time soon, but I’m definitely considering one of them for my own retirement,” she made small conversation, trying to change the subject from the sad note it had at the moment.

As the two women conversed inside the machine, the car reached the site of the celebration. Thankfully for Anna, they had arrived relatively on time sparring her from problems with Davout.

--

After some conversation with the president of New Manth, Librescu received an unexpected call, ”Conroy, here?” quite a surprise for the man. The Stevidian leader was a friend of his and the Holy Empire a friend of the Principality, so this was a pleasant surprise, but it still meant a bit of agitation for Liviu.

”What brings you to Delos, old friend?”

OOC: Moving things along.

"Your logic is sound, as far as can be discerned," Mr. Carter said. "Perhaps it would be better for us to discuss the future of league affairs, as I understand, there is much to be done. Besides, I must say that discussing policies that are not helpful to the peoples of the nations making up the world, such as forced slavery, will make for a festive conversation."

"I understand that President Librescu is in attendance. Once the announcement of the League is made, I hope to be able to visit with the other delegates."

Rene nodded “well I’ve served my term in office; the maximum I can do anyway unless I changed the law and constitution” she said with a laugh; “Which would probably get me de-elected anyway” she smiled

“Besides; I’m ready to move on to other things…I’ve presided over the homeland through the best and worst of times” she added; “I’m ready to do new things; find a job; fall in love; maybe start a family” she said with a weak smile. Falling in love never did go well for Rene the last time….

The Car seemed to come to a stop and she existed as the door was opened for her by the driver; her body guards having existed first it wasn’t a large security detachment; only three men and Sam her personal bodyguard that stayed with her 24/7. Rene continued to make idle small talk genuinely enjoying Anna’s company as they walked to the meeting hall. “By the way if you have any problems with your Boss’ just tell him to see me” she spoke nearly off hand determined to not let the young woman get into trouble over something Rene considered ‘her fault’. Animarnian’s were like that; loyal to a fault especially if they considered themselves responsible.

”But of course,” the General replied the mischievous twinkle still in his eyes. ”Might I recommend the champagne? I hear this particular brand,” he grabbed a cup of alcohol from a passing waiter, ”Has quite some surprising side effects,” a brief chuckle as his eyes looked around to find the Mephrasi empress and Alex Rayne, the couple always bringing a smile on people’s faces, ”I’m sure I can get people to confirm that to you. And I assure you, you’ll find the right man when you least expect him.”

"I would love some Champagne, General. Can I judge by that twinkle in your eyes that you at least know someone that is interested in me?" Tanya looked at where the General had turned to look, and saw the married couple, one of the two being the Mephrasi Empress.

OOC: Deepest apologies to everyone, I'm just going to go from what seems current.

IC: Mei stood next to her husband, listening as he spoke of the various attendees who graced this meeting. She was impressed by the number of generals, leaders, and otherwise high officials who were present. This only solidified in her mind the knowledge that this was an alliance not to be taken lightly. Mephras shall no doubt be in good hands. She nudged her husband slightly and whispered. "I hope I won't appear a fool among all these political and military minds." While she was Empress, her influence on the daily affairs of the country had decreased to extremely minimal levels. On top of that, her assent to power wasn't exact through "traditional means."

Mei, typically an extremely confident woman, found herself humbled and nervous in the presence of the delegates. She was college educated, but always considered herself a person of "street smarts" as opposed to more academic minded counterparts. As she turned away from her husband, she noticed a waiter pass by with a tray champagne flutes. She gestured for him to come near, and in the process caught the eyes of who she remembered was a member of the Lamonian delegation. She smiled warmly, and after grabbing a flute of champagne, preceded to walk toward the woman, extend her hand, and speak. "Greetings, I am Mei Mian of Mephras, I don't believe we have been formally introduced."

"I am Tanya Ley, Foreign Minister of the Free Republic of Lamoni, Empress Mian. It is a pleasure to meet you, and I have wanted to meet you for a long time. Even in Lamoni, we have heard of your marriage, and might I say congratulations on behalf of myself and my government."

Conroy greeted Librescu with a very firm handshake and with a broad smile. He loved meeting this man, such a well spoken and educated man and it was great to meet another person like him so he could get away from the squabbling chicken battery that was the House of Commons and his own Cabinet Ministers.

“Hello my good man, very pleased to be here to sign the opening of this new treaty. I hope that you yourself are healthy and well? I’m here on official business, to be more precise, to actually sign for Stevid’s own participation in this pact. You see…” Conroy started the first part of sentence before looking around and gently took Librescu by the arm and beckoned towards a more secluded spot of the hall.

“Sorry I just didn’t want anybody listening in. You see this alliance is the most important one Stevid will ever sign. I’m well aware that it is a 100% military alliance and for that we applaud you and those who thought of the alliance. But the military potential of this alliance is amazing, in a few decades this alliance could be a world contender against other military alliances. Stevid no friend of NATO and regards any alliance or foreign empire that has large military assets a direct threat to the Holy Empire, not to mention the fact that the Golden Throne and a large bulk of her allies have places within NATO. This alliance can stand up to NATO- I’m not proposing a war or even a cold war, neither am I promoting that we, as an alliance, place NATO on the ‘unfriendly’ list’. I’m just saying that this alliance can be bigger than NATO and so that is a cause Stevid will follow to the ends of the Earth.”

Conroy relaxed a little and spoke normally now that there were no more secrets to spill.

“That is why I felt it necessary to come here myself and sign my own country down on this treaty rather than get an Imperial Ambassador of the Throne to do it himself. I hope that’s not a problem old boy?”

"As far as I am aware," President Stinson said, "the nations represented here in this room are those who have been invited to the League to date."

Mr. Morris strood silent for a moment, but then he got back to his senses. He had briefly stared off into space, but was brought back by the scent of his vodka that he had just finished. He then finished his original thought.

"Well, if I may say so, the League will definately be a powerful coalition in this world. I certainly hope for the best."

Mr. Morris stood silent for a moment, but then he got back to his senses. He had briefly stared off into space, but was brought back by the scent of his vodka that he had just finished. He then finished his original thought.

"Well, if I may say so, the League will definitely be a powerful coalition in this world. I certainly hope for the best."

"I hope for the best as well. Even getting this many nations to join together is an accomplishment in and of itself, and who knows but that the League might even expand to include yet more nations when it is ready. In the meantime, I would much prefer to get the League off the ground, Mr. Morris.

"Thank you for your advice. I will return to Mr. Carter to finish up his conversation with Mr. Davout."

"You are welcome, Mr. Morris. I would thank you for expressing my greetings to the King and Queen."

”The perks of democracy,” Anna replied with a smile, ”But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she quickly added. Anna was a firm believer in the political system that Damirez had in place and from times to times it showed, especially when involved in a conversation regarding politics. This was most likely the result of her education and a sample of the mentality that the people of Damirez had.

As the Animarnian president continued, Anna couldn’t help but notice the sad smile that the woman had, proof that she went through quite a lot in the recent past, and if her sources were correct, only recently recovered from the whole ordeal. ”I’m sure things will work out somehow,” she smiled, trying to reassure the other woman that there was still hope out there for a new beginning, ”There’s happiness for everyone of us out there, just waiting to be found.”

When Rene commented about Davout, Anna couldn’t help but giggle for a brief second, trying to imagine the woman dealing with her usually stern boss. ”I’m sure there will be no problem…” she was a bit doubtful about that, but knowing the fierce loyalty the Animarnians showed to all they considered friends and Davout’s immovable system, well it was better to avoid than risk to see what the results could be. ”We’re just in time after all,” she pointed to Librescu, the president ending his conversation with the Stevidian representative and preparing for a speech.

--

It was clear to Alex that his wife was tense, it wasn’t every day that you found yourself surrounded by foreign leaders and various individuals of strength and for Mei, since she had focused mostly on rebuilding her country, a fact that given the huge investments made by the Damirans was known even to the most ignorant of Damirans, it was quite an occasion. ”Don’t worry,” he spoke to her, pinching her lightly, ”You’ll do fine, you’ve seen a lot too.“ There was a lot of history behind Mei’s regime, some things Alex decided to ignore, others were carefully remembered, cherished memories that he wouldn’t trade for anything, but some were nightmares that he wished to bury as the scar on his thigh remembered him, only quick thinking and a rapid intervention saving him from death during his brief stint as a prisoner in Mephras.

He had to admit that he was worried too, but when his wife introduced herself to what he recognized as being the Lamonian foreign minister, he smiled. She was going to handle this without any problems. And as the women spoke, he couldn’t help but throw a jab at the normally reserved general, well reserved according to him, ”My, seems you found quite a date Iulius,” but before the general could reply Alex added a few more words informing his wife and the Lamonian Minister about Librescu’s announcement, ”Seems Librescu’s going to start talking.”

--

”I can’t say I am not well,” Librescu replied to the Stevidian representative, surprised by the presence of the man and of the fact that he wished entrance in the League, ”I am however a bit surprised of your unexpected visit here, not that it is unwelcome,” he shaked Conroy’s hand firmly, a pleasant smile on his face. The, after quickly checking his surroundings, Librescu continued.

”Well, I wouldn’t call it exactly a 100% military alliance old friend, you know that we usually prefer to handle our problems by using diplomacy before resorting to arms, but it’s only natural to have a strong force to protect the interests of the League. After all in this crazy day and age there’s no telling where the next maniac is going to appear from and better be safe than regret it later,” not even Librescu knew just how true his words were, ”As for your situation with NATO, it’s certainly a delicate affair, this alliance has amongst its members a NATO members too, but other than that we retain a strictly neutral stance towards them, although I am looking forward to improve relations. I do not agree with the increasing hostilities that appeared between them and APOC, but it is not my place to comment on these happenings. And I can only hope that your words prove themselves true in the future, as the Holy Empire certainly has a place amongst the nations of the League,” Librescu stopped and looked at the watch, ”Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a little speech I must hold.”

--

Excusing himself to Conroy, Liviu headed straight to the small podium in the middle of the room, he had an announcement to make, the final step in establishing the League as an organization. He felt filled with energy and for a few minutes, he forgot about all the hard work and the efforts put into the creation of this organization, but as all came to completion, he knew it was only the beginning.

On the small stage, behind the microphone, he started talking, ”Greetings my friends and welcome to Delos,” the enthusiastic president addressed the heads of state and various representatives of importance, ”Or should I say, welcome to the League?” he asked, looking at all present. ”As you all know a few years ago, or what for some counts like a long time in the past, during my first term in power I decided to pursue a dream, one that told the story of a brighter future for all its members, a weird blend between various other systems, but with its unique flavor.

I have to tell you, it wasn’t easy. Between convincing my own government and then the subsequent members, it was a challenge. But a challenge that was worth it, the rewards obvious to us all.

But enough about that, today we stand together on a memorable day, the day that this organization finally reveals itself officially to the world. For many years now preparations were made, shipyards and ships built, the Island of Delos remodeled entirely and now it all comes to fruition. We stand together in an organization that will benefit us all, an organization that will bring further prosperity and betterment of our lives adding protection to our nations in this world.

I welcome you gentlemen and ladies to the launch of the Delian League, an organization with much potential for greatness, greatness which lies at the tips of our fingers. It is only up to us that we achieve this.”

--

OOC: Didn’t come out the way I wanted it, but it’s finally up. I’ll put up a new thread soon as the standard ‘recruitment’/convo thread and I invite all members to the forums of the League.

OOC: Didn’t come out the way I wanted it, but it’s finally up. I’ll put up a new thread soon as the standard ‘recruitment’/convo thread and I invite all members to the forums of the League.

OUT OF CHARACTER:

I love the idea.

“Indeed; democracy is a beautiful disaster most of the time; still if the Election goes the way I hope the country will be in good hands” Rene said with a nod at Anna’s comments about politics and democracy in general. While it was certainly true democracy had its shortcomings at times it was better than any alternative thus far. Rene’s smiled seemed to falter slightly at the comments on love; “Perhaps for you my dear; but not for me…a better life might exist but I fear I may have missed it. I feel like I may be so far beyond the point of no return that I don’t even remember what it looked like when I passed it”

Rene sighed a moment “Well trust me; if there is a problem; we WILL find out eventually; C are very good. Very thorough” she said the cheeky smile now back in place; ‘put on your happy face and smile to the crowd’ she thought to herself. Rene picked up a glass of Champaign from a passing waiter as they entered the large main hall to listen to the speech and to ‘meet and greet’ as Rene called it. She would undoubtedly be spending the next few hours shaking hands and nodding heads with people she did not know; and in all likelihood really had no love for all wanting to be her friend. She had been given dossiers and intelligence files on all the attendees of course and recognised most if not all of them immediately from their photos supplied by Central. The Problem with events like this for Rene was that everyone acted like they were entitled to her friendship just because they were part of the same ‘entity’ and got awfully ‘pissy’ if you acted anything but cordial. The truth was friendship to Rene was something like trust that is earned not given lightly and being Ryokan by birth Rene was particularly fierce as a leader because of the hot Ryokan blood pumping through her veins.

Rene sipped her glass of Champaign as the Damerian President made his speech about the League the gentle flavour sliding down her throat and pushing a nice aroma up to her nose. There was never anything quite like good Champaign though Rene didn’t drink it often she tended to prefer sweet White Wine when at home. She listened attentively as her counterpart drawled about the league and its benefits; ‘preaching to the choir’ she thought to herself with a smile knowing that everyone here was already a member or at worst being nominated for membership already. Though there was no doubt that the league had been good for Animarnian shipping; Bristol-Bath and Saxford ship yards were full to the maximum with ships under production order for the League; creating some Eight Hundred Thousand long term jobs. Rene smiled at Anna tuning the president’s speech into background noise; it wasn’t that she was being rude she just had other things on her mind – “Are you doing anything later?” she asked Anna

(OOC: Sorry about that :) tried not to make it sound too rude; Rene just isn't that great at listening to long speachs :P )

As Foreign Minister Ley waited for Mei's response, she listened to Alex's aside to the General that she had been talking to.

”My, seems you found quite a date Iulius,”

She was going to respond when Alex mentioned that Librescu was about to start speaking.

---

Meanwhile, President Stinson was drinking champagne at one of the tables. He watched as the representatives from the other nations moved around and talked with each other. Of more immediate interest to Stinson was watching the representative from Stevid engage in conversation with Librescu. It looked like the man from Stevid was trying to make a major point to Librescu, and Stinson kept watching out of the corner of his eye until the two left the room. This was getting interesting, Stinson thought.

"Here, here," Mr. Morris said to the crowd, beckoning for them to applaud President Librescu's speech. He rejoined Mr. carter, and then they both sat down at Mr. Davout's table. As Mr. Carter drank his share of the champagne, he stood up and faced the crowd.

"I propose a toast, in commemoration of President Librescu's glorious vision!"

OUT OF CHARACTER:

If this thread is closed and finished, then I suggest that a new thread gets started.

OOC:
I don't think its so much dead as in I think Dam hasn't had time to post since I've not seen him on IRC in over a week.

OOC: Damirez still hasn't had much time to post.

I am dredging up this old thread so that we may use it some more.

OOC: Actually I'm going to start a new one soon. Just need to finish the post for it first.

Very well, just tell me when this thread needs to be closed.