NationStates Jolt Archive

As the Kaydonian aircraft was ten minutes from landing at Government AFB near the Lamonian capitol of Nephi, the Army band was getting into position, the flags of Lamoni and Kaydonia were placed in their stands, and the battalion of infantry that had been detailed to guard the scene turned their security measures up a notch higher.

President Stinson and his Ixanian wife (Adelaide) were engaging in small talk with each other, waiting for the Kaydonian aircraft to land. There were always challenges when establishing diplomatic relations with a nation that one had not met before, but the Lamonians had done this enough times that any such issues should be minor.

All was in readiness on this cloudless day for the reception.

Tagged

(OOC: Will reply when I have a bit more time)

Kaydonia One, In Lamonian Airspace
Sitting in a window seat on the presidential jetliner, Kaydonia One, cruising at an altitude of 32,000 ft., President Sutton gazes out of the window at the beautiful terrain below. He thinks back to the days where he flew cross country within Kaydonia. This was his first trip outside of Kaydonian territory and he was rather excited about it.

"Man, look at this place. Its beautiful, from what I can tell. I really cant wait to get these talks underway. Kaydonia could really use a close friend, and I honestly believe that Lamoni could be that friend that we've been looking for. Our principles are similar and im pretty sure they will think the same once we begin." Sutton exclaims.

His closest ally and Kaydonia's most trusted and powerful diplomat, Lauren Smith, Secretary of State, sat across from him gazing outside of the window as well. There was a brief pause before she responded, as if mesmorized by the outside view.

"I agree, sir. If the talks go well, this could be the start of a new era for Kaydonia. Perhaps we could adopt, in the future of course, a new policy of safeguarding all democratic nations and ensuring the freedoms of all, in every country. Standing up for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This would be a great endeavour for you sir." Lauren replies.

"I agree Lauren. I think the Kaydonians will be proud of what I have in store for the country. And hopefully we can make a difference in the world, though I know that will be a long hard journey for us, and an uphill battle from the beginning." says Sutton, still looking out of the window.

Kaydonia One was a mere five minutes away from touching down at a Lamonian air force base and was on final approach to the runway.

"Lamonian air force base control, this is Kaydonia One, I repeat this is Kaydonia One requesting landing clearance, request fighter escort, over" requested the pilot from the cockpit.

"Lamonian air force base control, this is Kaydonia One, I repeat this is Kaydonia One requesting landing clearance, request fighter escort, over" requested the pilot from the cockpit.

"This is Skywatch Tower at Government AFB, Kaydonia One. Landing clearance on runway 01 is granted. Your fighter escort will be forming up on you shortly. Welcome to Lamoni, over." The controller focused his attention towards vectoring two F-31 Sylvantes ASF aircraft ( http://z4.invisionfree.com/NSDraftroom/index.php?showtopic=3115 ) into formation with Kaydonia One. The maneuver was executed crisply by the two expert pilots charged with the mission, and they followed Kaydonia One down to the runway, landing in formation upon the wide runway meant for large aircraft of all types. When Kaydonia One had stopped at the designated hangar, the ceremonial airstairs were made ready for the Kaydonian diplomatic party to step onto Lamonian soil.


When the Kaydonian President started walking down the airstairs, the Lamonian Army Band started to play the Kaydonian national Anthem, followed by the Lamonian national anthem (which is known as "Lamoni, motherland, we love thee"). At the bottom of the airstairs, President Stinson and First Lady Adelaide Stinson were waiting to officially welcome their guests to the Free Republic. "President Sutton, welcome to Lamoni, I am President Stinson, and this is my wife, Adelaide. Welcome to Lamoni. Is there anything that you need before we make a stop at the Presidential Palace?"

OOC: I'll TG you information on characters and such.

OOC: Sorry for the delay. Work has been keeping me exhausted this past couple weeks. Gotta love the Navy.

IC:

Looking into President Stinson's eyes, Kayamone extends his hand for a firm handshake of friendship and does the same for First Lady Adelaide.

"Mr. President, its an honor to finally meet with you. Allow me to introduce to you Kaydonia's finest diplomat in my absence, Secretary of State Lauren Smith, who you will be dealing with extensively, again, in my absence. Sutton exclaims.

"Its an honor to meet you, sir, ma'am." Lauren says while shaking President Stinson's hand.

"You have a beautiful country. I couldnt help but keep my eyes glued outside of the window on the flight in. Perhaps if it wouldnt be much of any trouble, i could take a tour of your capital city?" Sutton exclaims while looking around at the band playing and the sights around him.

OOC: My dad used to be a Machinist's Mate 1st class on the USS Kamehameha, so I know what you mean. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Kamehameha

IC: Looking into President Stinson's eyes, Kayamone extends his hand for a firm handshake of friendship and does the same for First Lady Adelaide.

"Mr. President, its an honor to finally meet with you. Allow me to introduce to you Kaydonia's finest diplomat in my absence, Secretary of State Lauren Smith, who you will be dealing with extensively, again, in my absence. Sutton exclaims.

"Its an honor to meet you, sir, ma'am." Lauren says while shaking President Stinson's hand.

"You have a beautiful country. I couldn't help but keep my eyes glued outside of the window on the flight in. Perhaps if it wouldn't be much of any trouble, i could take a tour of your capital city?" Sutton exclaims while looking around at the band playing and the sights around him.

President Stinson smiled as he shook President Kayamone's and Sec State Smith's hands. "Thank you. We take great pride in what we have been able to accomplish. We can certainly take a tour of Nephi, as well. If everyone will follow me, we have a limousine parked and waiting for us." President Stinson lead the way, pointing out various things about the Air Force base and the aircraft that were there; always cautious to not reveal too much yet.

When they reached the limo, President Stinson let his wife and Sec State Smith in first, then let President Kayamone in before finding his own seat. Once everyone was settled, the limo left the Air Force Base, and headed for Nephi.

President Stinson continued to speak in the limo. "Nephi is located in the center of Lamoni, when the massive group of refugees that founded our nation came to the spot where the Presidential Palace is now located, and banded together to form their own nation. They drafted a Constitution, created a government, and made laws without foreign interference of any kind, and were fully ready by the time that they first started to encounter other nations. At the time, we felt like a strong nation, and we wished to expand our influence, and democratic way of life. For the most part, we were successful. There were a few wars along the way, but we have gone from a small nation that pulled itself up by it's bootstraps to a large, healthy nation that is fully enmeshed in both the domestic and international spheres. We are a multi-cultural society; bound together by our democratic ideals. Though, as curious as you must be about us, we are equally curious about Kaydonia. What is Kaydonia looking to accomplish here?"

Briefly looking out the window as the Presidential limousine cruised down the streets by armored escourts, President Sutton turns to President Stinson and smiles.

"Sounds like a similar history to Kaydonia's, I must say. I, as well as my people are firm believers in democratic ideals. I am a firm believer in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as well as the voluntary and involuntary,if certain cases warrant,spread of democracy. Kaydonia has no real international agenda at this time. We are fairly new to the international scene, and being so, we merely wish to make a few friends, build relations, and hopefully stand up for whats right and wrong in the international community, going up to bat, if necessary, for those nations who struggle under tyrannical governments who wish to have nothing to do with democracy and who wish to attack nations, both big and small, who hold democratic ideals dear. Kaydonia is looking for friends who are willing to stick their neck out to fight for people who are oppressed and take a stand with us. That, my friend, is what I am looking to accomplish, and I represent the hearts and minds of the Kaydonian people, so they too, are looking to accomplish that as well. My people are fiercely patriotic and enjoy the rights and freedoms that every other free nation has and are willing to go to bat for those around the world who wish to share in these same god-given freedoms." Sutton states as he slides into his diplomatic mode.

Lauren looks at the President and smiles, captivated by his sincerity that she has gotten to know so well over the years. She then looks at President Stinson, awaiting his response.

"Mr. President," Stinson began. "The Free Republic also recognizes the rights of those who desire to have a democratic way of life. Recently, we hosted refugees from the nation of Myakka; which was overrun by Communists. However, we also know of the virtue of not biting off more than you can chew.

How far ranging is your struggle for helping others obtain democracy? Does Kaydonia have any other allies to assist it with this struggle? How many nations has Kaydonia helped to bring to democracy? There are still many questions, but I can say that Lamoni would support such an endeavor, if it is properly planned an executed. When we get to the Presidential Palace, i'll show you something of the Lamonian worldview. I'm sure that you will find it most enlightening."

As President Stinson had been talking, they had arrived at the gates of the Lamonian Presidential Palace. After a security check of the car, they were admitted onto the grounds, and the car stopped at it's appointed parking place. Two Lamonian Army soldiers were standing guard at the double door entrance nearest the limo, and waited for everyone to approach.

"Sir, I am well aware of the risks involved in biting off more than one can chew, which I am not at liberty to do because of Kaydonia's relatively new position within the international community, however, that does not mean that we will not fight, within our own capacity, for what is right and fight against what is wrong. At this time Kaydonia does not have any allies in this struggle, however, we are making headway in procuring allies to assist us not just in this struggle, but in the struggle for survival and mutual defense. Recently I ordered a small number of ground, air, and naval forces to put an end to an oppresive monarchist government in the nation of Northam-York. While we played a small part in the struggle, democratic forces prevailed and we were able to bring democracy to that country, proving Kaydonia's dedication to bringing democracy to those who yearn for it." stated Sutton.

The door of the limousine was opened and President Stinson, his wife, President Sutton and Secretary Smith stepped out of the vehicle. Sutton took a look around as he deeply inhaled the fresh Lamonian air.

"Quite a remarkable country you have here, if I do say so myself, Mr. President" says Sutton as he turns to President Stinson.

"Sir, I am well aware of the risks involved in biting off more than one can chew, which I am not at liberty to do because of Kaydonia's relatively new position within the international community, however, that does not mean that we will not fight, within our own capacity, for what is right and fight against what is wrong. At this time Kaydonia does not have any allies in this struggle, however, we are making headway in procuring allies to assist us not just in this struggle, but in the struggle for survival and mutual defense. Recently I ordered a small number of ground, air, and naval forces to put an end to an oppresive monarchist government in the nation of Northam-York. While we played a small part in the struggle, democratic forces prevailed and we were able to bring democracy to that country, proving Kaydonia's dedication to bringing democracy to those who yearn for it." stated Sutton.

"I have no intention of insulting you, President Sutton. I merely wished to understand how far that Kaydonia would go to achieve it's goals. We share the same goal, but we believe that giving people democracy by force is not always the best option. There are times when they are not ready for it, or the leadership of the oppresive nation has so completely brainwashed the population that they will resist any attempts to improve their lots in life. What would Kaydonia do in such a situation?" stated Stinson.

The door of the limousine was opened and President Stinson, his wife, President Sutton and Secretary Smith stepped out of the vehicle. Sutton took a look around as he deeply inhaled the fresh Lamonian air.

"Quite a remarkable country you have here, if I do say so myself, Mr. President" says Sutton as he turns to President Stinson.

"Thank you, President Sutton, we do try. If we have time later, we can take you on a tour of Lamoni. We have come quite a long way from our refugee roots, as you can see. Now, if you will please follow me, we can proceed to the semi-formal dining room." With that, President Stinson led the way past the two Lamonian Army guards who held the doors open for the party, and went into the semi-formal dining room.

The semi-formal dining room had a long Cherry finished Oak table, with enough room for all of the diners to be comfortable. The chairs were leather, and they swiveled to allow people to sit on them. The fact that it made them easier to clean had not been overlooked, either.

The Marble Tile floor was done in a giant version of the Lamonian flag; with different materials being put into the tiles in order to get them to come out in the correct colors. The walls themselves were also done in marble, but unlike the floors, they didn't have to be flat. The wall tiling was made to feel like the person who had chiseled it out of the quarry had a sense of artistic style as the walls looked like they were the remains of a rock quarry of which this room had been a part. Little silk curtains were parted on pictures and paintings of Lamonian military equipment and military victories. (OOC: feel free to ask Stinson about them, otherwise, I won't bother describing all of the wall pictures) One of the pictures was of a Lamonian Army soldier aiming his assault rifle at an undefined enemy with his right arm while beckoning other Lamonian soldiers to follow him with his left arm. A little metal plaque underneath this particular painting revealed the name of the painter, as well as the fact that the painting was of a scene of the Battle of Hando during the Psipronian War. On another wall was a picture that had come from Imperial Isa. The subject of the picture was of the new fighter bomber that the Free Republic had acquired from that nation, the F-31 Sylphid.

The lights in the ceiling had been made in such a fashion as to make it look like the ceiling panel was filtering real sunlight; which had never failed to amaze Stinson when he looked at it.

All in all, the room looked like what you might expect from a high level country club. There were even bowls of fruit on the table, as well as pitchures of water.

Foreign Minister Tanya Ley came into the room, and handed President Stinson a folder, which was bordered by red tape. "President Sutton, we have no objections with your goal of forming an alliance to bring nations to democracy; and in fact, we are also willing to sell Kaydonia the weapons with which to do it. Kaydonian warships are also welcome to make port visits to Lamoni, so long as your nation does not use Lamoni as a base for an attack on any nation without our permission. We would also like to host a joint Army training session in Lamoni's eastern deserts; say one armored division from both of our nations. Are these proposals suitable to Kaydonia?"

"I have no intention of insulting you, President Sutton. I merely wished to understand how far that Kaydonia would go to achieve it's goals. We share the same goal, but we believe that giving people democracy by force is not always the best option. There are times when they are not ready for it, or the leadership of the oppresive nation has so completely brainwashed the population that they will resist any attempts to improve their lots in life. What would Kaydonia do in such a situation?" stated Stinson.

"I understand your concerns. They are well placed. Now, in the situation that a nation would nto necessarily want democracy, then it is not our place to force those people to live under a democratic government. I believe the best course of action would be to put an end to the cause of the conflict and immediately after provide a peacekeeping force to ensure that hostilities would not break out again. Once the peacekeepers have gotten a grasp on the hostilities, efforts should be made to let the people govern themselves, not necessarily though a democratic government, but as they see fit. Ask the people, let the people chose, of course through democratic means, but you are still giving the people the option to govern themselves how they want to be governed. If they would prefer a socialist run state, then let them have that. If they would like one specific person to rule their country, let them have that, and if necessary, bring in friends and/or allies of Kaydonia that may share the same ideals and beliefs that the people of the occupied nation may believe in and allow them to help shape and mold the government into the government that the people want, and i say that for two reasons, one, so that the people can govern themselves, and two, so that Kaydonia and the rest of the world knows that that nation will not be turned over to a nation who has intent to do wrong and further oppress the people of that country.

"Thank you, President Sutton, we do try. If we have time later, we can take you on a tour of Lamoni. We have come quite a long way from our refugee roots, as you can see. Now, if you will please follow me, we can proceed to the semi-formal dining room."

"My delegation would very much like that. You know, I've always been in love with traveling, especially to far, far away exotic places. To experience and study their culture, to see different ways of life other than Kaydonian. It intrigues me and helps me to learn more about the world. What about you?" Sutton asks to President Stinson.

As the party entered into the dining room, President Sutton was very impressed by the great detail put into the room. It had been unlike anything that he had seen before. As he walked around the room examining the decorated walls, he wondered to himself how old the paintings were.

"Say, how old are these paintings and whats the history behind them? Im very much interested in the history of how your nation came to be and its great struggles as is depicted in them." Sutton asked as he took a seat at the table with the rest of the party.

"President Sutton, we have no objections with your goal of forming an alliance to bring nations to democracy; and in fact, we are also willing to sell Kaydonia the weapons with which to do it. Kaydonian warships are also welcome to make port visits to Lamoni, so long as your nation does not use Lamoni as a base for an attack on any nation without our permission. We would also like to host a joint Army training session in Lamoni's eastern deserts; say one armored division from both of our nations. Are these proposals suitable to Kaydonia?"

Thinking hard about President Stinson's question and proposal, President Sutton cupped his hands together for a moment then looked up at him.

"Kaydonia would never violate the rules and regulations of another country, especially a friend when it comes to war. I believe that your objection to us launching an attack upon another country from a base located in your country would be viewed as an act of war both from Kaydonia and Lamoni, even if Lamoni is not a part of the conflict, which would be disrespectful. So you have my assurances that Kaydonia will never do that, and I have always been a man of my word... stated Sutton as he was politely inturrupted by Secretary of State Smith.

"Pardon me, Mr. President, if I may?" she says.

President Sutton nodded to her and she turned to President Stinson and continued to speak.

"Mr. President, Sir, I have been authorized to negotiate with your nation the terms of such an alliance. We have no objections to your stated proposal, and we are willing to also sell you any and all Kaydonian weapons and weapon systems, and that includes strategic assets as well. In addition, Kaydonian Secretary of Defense Mitchell Ferguson, who unfortunately could not make it to this meeting today floated the idea of joint training missions, so I believe we are right in line with what you are proposing. Are there any provisions that you would like in addition to what you have already put out on the table?"

OOC: tag for later post. But, I think that you'll like what I have in mind.

bump for reminder lol

OOC: Hours for my new job SUCK.

IC: "I understand your concerns. They are well placed. Now, in the situation that a nation would not necessarily want democracy, then it is not our place to force those people to live under a democratic government. I believe the best course of action would be to put an end to the cause of the conflict and immediately after provide a peacekeeping force to ensure that hostilities would not break out again. Once the peacekeepers have gotten a grasp on the hostilities, efforts should be made to let the people govern themselves, not necessarily though a democratic government, but as they see fit. Ask the people, let the people chose, of course through democratic means, but you are still giving the people the option to govern themselves how they want to be governed. If they would prefer a socialist run state, then let them have that. If they would like one specific person to rule their country, let them have that, and if necessary, bring in friends and/or allies of Kaydonia that may share the same ideals and beliefs that the people of the occupied nation may believe in and allow them to help shape and mold the government into the government that the people want, and i say that for two reasons, one, so that the people can govern themselves, and two, so that Kaydonia and the rest of the world knows that that nation will not be turned over to a nation who has intent to do wrong and further oppress the people of that country.

"We can accept that. With the alternative being to use troops to overlord a population that does not want them there, this would be an effective means of leaving said nation with honor. To use just one example, Lamoni is allied with Lyras, which is a unique military state. Yet, honor is important to both them, and us. If for some unknown reason we were forced to invade them (OOC: i'd HATE to see the losses that i'd take in that!), then we would want them to be free to select their own government as well. Not that we would invade them without just cause, but you get the idea."

"My delegation would very much like that. You know, I've always been in love with traveling, especially to far, far away exotic places. To experience and study their culture, to see different ways of life other than Kaydonian. It intrigues me and helps me to learn more about the world. What about you?" Sutton asks to President Stinson.

As the party entered into the dining room, President Sutton was very impressed by the great detail put into the room. It had been unlike anything that he had seen before. As he walked around the room examining the decorated walls, he wondered to himself how old the paintings were.

"Say, how old are these paintings and whats the history behind them? I'm very much interested in the history of how your nation came to be and its great struggles as is depicted in them." Sutton asked as he took a seat at the table with the rest of the party.

"I too like to travel to other lands, and see how they do things. It can frequently give one an idea or two that can be put to good effect at home. I have often thought that when my term of office has ended, that I would take my wife with me to tour other nations for the fun of it. Go back to all of those nations that i've been to in my term in office, and see them without all of the officialdom. Also, my wife and I will soon be off on a multi-national tour. We are hopeful of visiting thirty different nations, and learning much on our way (OOC: IRL, they are currently in Third Spanish States)."

"The paintings themselves vary in age, but they go all of the way from our refugee roots to the present day. Would you like to hear about what they depict, President Sutton?"

Thinking hard about President Stinson's question and proposal, President Sutton cupped his hands together for a moment then looked up at him.

"Kaydonia would never violate the rules and regulations of another country, especially a friend when it comes to war. I believe that your objection to us launching an attack upon another country from a base located in your country would be viewed as an act of war both from Kaydonia and Lamoni, even if Lamoni is not a part of the conflict, which would be disrespectful. So you have my assurances that Kaydonia will never do that, and I have always been a man of my word... stated Sutton as he was politely interrupted by Secretary of State Smith.

"Pardon me, Mr. President, if I may?" she says.

President Sutton nodded to her and she turned to President Stinson and continued to speak.

"Mr. President, Sir, I have been authorized to negotiate with your nation the terms of such an alliance. We have no objections to your stated proposal, and we are willing to also sell you any and all Kaydonian weapons and weapon systems, and that includes strategic assets as well. In addition, Kaydonian Secretary of Defense Mitchell Ferguson, who unfortunately could not make it to this meeting today floated the idea of joint training missions, so I believe we are right in line with what you are proposing. Are there any provisions that you would like in addition to what you have already put out on the table?"

"I am glad to hear that Kaydonia will not be launching attacks from Lamonian territory without our permission, President Sutton. You stated our concerns on that question with aplomb."

"We have no objections to an alliance with Kaydonia under these terms, Madam Secretary of State. I have nothing further to add to the provisions at this time, and I am confident that we will reach an agreement very shortly. Is there anything that Kaydonia would like to add?"