UKS-CSST Summit, Niemen, Florenzia

[Galicia-Volhynia]

Reichschancellor Andrew Soldatyn was waiting. His counterpart, the Tundran Secretary of State would be arriving at Wintergarden soon. The meeting was scheduled in haste, to stymie an escalating series of events that brought the UKS to the precipice of armed conflict. No, he thought, war must be avoided.

Much relied on the meeting with the CSST. Soldatyn, with the help of his foreign minister, Konrad von Witte, had identified the CSST as a reasonable point to which it could assess the mood of the alliance of socialist nations. As von Witte informed him, the thoughts and policies of one nation were not representative of the whole spectrum of socialist states in the region, but Soldatyn countered, it would at least open a dialogue.

It was with that line of reasoning that he had initially contacted the CSST’s president, Demetri Arkady. Soldatyn had hoped that high level discussions would bring quick denouement to the wider disagreement between the kingdoms and the socialists. He also carefully selected Niemen as the site of the summit. While not the capital of Florenzia, it was easily its largest city and one of the most beautiful metropolises in the kingdoms, if not the entire region. Nestled on a narrow coastal plain at the foot of the Red Range, the city formed a wall of glass and steel against the ocean. Wintergarden, the official residence of the Archduke of Baltica, was carved out of the slope of one of the mountains of the Red Range that sprang up on the other side of Niemen. It was made of gleaming white Ugrian marble from Western Florenzia, and terraced progressively to a plateau on which its base was build. From the wall of each terraced level, vines fell to the level below it. Springs in Florenzia made Wintergarden seem like one huge flowering edifice, thus earning the fortress its name.

Although it was now summer in Florenzia and much of the flowers had fallen off of the vines, the air around the castle still smelled of life. Jasmine and Volhynian pine combined to deliver a potent mélange of floral aromas. The scent wafted through a window left ajar in a conference room off of Highgarden’s great hall.

This Secretary of State, Zachary P. Buchanan should be landing soon. He would be greeted by his aide de camp, Yuri, and Archduke Adam Federov, who at the last minute flew from Muscovy to Niemen to provide more ceremony for the first contact between the CSST and the UKS.

This post has been edited by Galicia-Volhynia on Dec 26 2008, 07:16 AM

[The CSST]

Buchanan was sitting on the private jet of the CSST. On the other side of his jet was his personal aid, Thatcher Monty, the two of them had been friends for a while now, and their relationship was not limited to politics.

"I bet you Demetri will be upset," Buchanan said.
"What makes you say that?" Monty replied.
"Don't you think he'd want to personally meet the head of state of the UKS, instead of someone of a lower level?" Buchanan answered.
"He's never been the one to grab the spot light," Monty said.
"True, in fact, I think he's afraid of it. Besides, being in the second revolutionary congress would seem a higher honor," Buchanan replied.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the CSST becomes the diplomatic weapon of the NSP," Monty said.
"Well, if the UKS Head of State wants to speak with us, we must have done something right, haven't we?" Buchanan said.
"Well, the Secretary of State will be a bit more busy, being the chief diplomat of the diplomatic weapon," Monty said laughing.
"I've always wanted to travel," Buchanan answered.

Then the plane landed and Buchanan suddenly felt as though he had been shot. He finally realized the importance of his mission, more then he had before. His first priority was to end the blockade of Rebaltion, though that could come second. Then he needed to open diplomatic relations with not only the UKS, but OCEANS as a whole. The ZaKommians sent a man to meet with OCEANS, and OCEANS could not fall to the Wysterian Coalition. If they did, then Rebaltion would be in a huge amount of danger. Regardless, Buchanan stepped out of the plane and looked to his welcoming party. He was good at hiding feelings.

This post has been edited by The CSST on Dec 25 2008, 08:53 PM

[Galicia-Volhynia]

As the Tundran dignitaries deplaned, a small honor guard stood at attention. Buchanan and his entourage walked the red carpet. There was no band and the honor guard was wearing their Class B uniforms. At the end of the carpet stood Yuri Mikhonin, Reichschancellor Soldatyn’s Chief of Staff and Adam Federov, the Archduke of Baltica. Both men greeted Buchanan and his retinue.

“My apologies, your grace,” Mikhonin said to Buchanan, “usually, a guest of your rank would be greeted much more grandly, but Reichschancellor Soldatyn wishes to minimize all pretenses and set a tone of business for this visit.” Buchanan nodded and smiled and was shown to the town car waiting to whisk the entourage off to Wintergarden.

The line of diplomatic vehicles sped down the Kingsroad to castle on the side of the Red Range. In every UKS state, there was a four lane road dedicated solely to the transport of diplomats and high ranking officials, each called the Kingsroad. Like this Kingsroad, the pavement utilized a recycled plastic surfacing tinted red to help differentiate the route from the roads open to the general public. Having a route solely dedicated to this kind of traffic allowed the entourage to zip past other traffic trying to enter the greater Niemen metropolitan area.

The group arrived at Wintergarden without incident and were shown into the castle’s great hall. A warm light from the sconces along the wall was reflected from the gold leafing that adorned the dome above the great hall. There was a scene painted at the ceiling that was unfamiliar to the Tundran official.

“That is ‘the landing’ your grace. Varangian legend says that three missionaries from the Great Isan Empire landed on the spot where Muscovy, Galicia-Volhynia, is today. These three men converted the Varangian people to Orthodoxism. For bringing the Varangian people into holy mother church, God transformed the three of them into Seraphim, the highest order of angels.”

It was then that Soldatyn walked up to the group. “Welcome Secretary Buchanan,” he said, extending his hand to the Tundran. Buchanan shook Soldatyn’s hand vigorously. “Yuri, please show his grace to the conference room.”

As they took their seats around the conference table a waiter walked around filling their water glasses.

“Before we proceed, I’d like to welcome his grace, Zachary P. Buchanan, Secretary of State for the CSST to Niemen and to thank him for traveling so far south to attend these talks. Then I’d like to introduce my Chief of Staff, Yuri Mikhonin, on my right, and on my left, Marta Yevlensky, a Boyar in the UKS Rada. Boyar Yevlesnksy has been a former Trade Minister as well as Treasurer for the Varangian Empire and an all-around accomplished stateswoman for the Empire. Would you like to introduce your team, your grace?”

[The CSST]

Buchanan was having a nice time so far. He enjoyed the UKS, especially being treated so well.

"Mr. Reichschancellor, I am greatly honored to be here today, before all of you. I understand the importance of this meeting, and I believe that what shall be decided here will be truly historic. Now for my team, with me I brought the assistant Secretary of State Hunter Dickinson, to my left. Dickinson has served with me from the beginning, and I cannot be happier with him. To my right Thatcher Monty, my personal aid and adviser. He has also served me well. Next to him is Daniel Shariff, trade adviser of the President.

I must apologize for President Arkady's absence, but as you surely know, he is currently attending other business at the Revolutionary Congress. Speaking of this, I believe that we should speak of the blockade on Rebaltion and Akkadia, as a result of the war. Now, I want to hear your side and judgments, for I want to be entirely informed before making the case.

However, if you'd like to begin speaking of something else, then please, by all means, tell me. Then, we shall begin there," Buchanan said.

[Galicia-Volhynia]

Soldatyn smiled, he had expected this was going to be one of the hot button issues.

“Secretary Buchanan, I would like to preface my comments by saying that I speak only from the United Kingdoms. OCEANS, the free trade area, has no structure for making political decisions that do not apply to trade, so if Caphtoria, Tyryte, or any other nation chooses to participate in this trade protection action, Rebaltion or Akkadia need to address those nations individually.”

“I believe that my Foreign Minister, Konrad von Witte, has spoken quite clearly on the issue. Perhaps what Reblation does not understand is the volume of trade that is routed through the Clark Strait and how much costs increase when vessels need to take an alternate route to avoid an open conflict. The allied ships that are in the area are outside of Rebaltion and Arkkadia’s territorial waters, which are described as twelve nautical miles from either nation’s shores. So, the reasons behind our actions are multifold, but the crux of the issue is the potential for war to adversely affect the whole of the United Kingdoms by distorting the normal trade that flows through Alderon. We also have territory in Alderon and are obliged to protect that sovereign territory.”

“You see, Secretary Buchanan, the United Kingdoms have always aligned its actions with international law; I contend that Rebaltion has not had such a track record.”

Soldatyn handed an old copy of the Rebaltion newspaper, the Workers Word, to Buchanan. The date on the front was October 27, 2008

“We can all recall the deplorable actions that the Rebaltionese took when it enacted its Sedition Laws of 2008. I consider the actions that were committed against United Kingdoms’ nationals as an abhorrent crime against humanity and a great shame to other nations that consider themselves to be like Rebaltion. It was only with the threat of force did Rebaltion back down. Clearly, force is the only thing that Rebaltion understands. If your citizens were forcibly moved and detained with no just cause, would you put your faith in Rebaltion to act according to international law, or even according to ration, your grace?”

"I would add that Akkadia seems to be as irrational as Rebaltion, so it seems to me, and the government of the United Kingdoms, that the war between the two, no matter how suspect it may seem, is rather fitting. For us, the optimal outcome would be if they both managed to destroy eachother, but since one has to be the victor, Wysteria will be well served with any outcome, by having one less pariah nation."

"Incidentally, Secretary Buchanan. I do not know if your intent is to represent the CSST or the CSST and Rebaltion, or the NSP, please deliver this message to Rebaltion. Any annexation of even an inch of Akkadian territory will bring harsh and disproportionate consequences. This transparent sham of a war gives Rebaltion a very slim opportunity to prove that it is not a pariah and belongs in the international family of nations. Let us both hope, for their sake, that their government makes the right decisions."

This post has been edited by Galicia-Volhynia on Dec 27 2008, 11:56 AM

[The CSST]

“I understand fully that if Rebaltion and Akkadia wish to end the blockade, they must handle it themselves. However, because I am here, I was asked to see if anything can be done, it is not a priority or an objective of my mission here.

We are aware of the mass importance of the Clark Strait in international trade. I am aware of the fact the fleet is not in territorial waters, but Mr. Reichschancellor I implore you to understand that you’ve essentially told Rebaltion and Akkadia that they are unable to use their navies, in a war. A navy can make or break a way, you know this, the war could have ended if Rebaltion was allowed to use naval tactics. Now they have no choice but rip threw the Akkadian territory until they surrender, which doesn’t seem likely.

With all do respect, International Law is nothing but a voluntary thing, no one is enforcing by obligation,” Buchanan replied.

Buchanan looked at the news report, then he looked to the Reichschancellor.

“May I also bring to your attention, a day later, October 28, 2008, Rebaltion made a statement that any nation wishing to have their citizens returned to them has only to ask for it. Please let me remind you, Nashban and Caphtoria are both extremely close to Rebaltion. Caphtoria is viewed as unfriendly, as is OCEANS, and Nashban has already threatened Rebaltion. I see it justified to take the actions Rebaltion did to protect itself from those nations. The people sent to the camps were given grade A treatment, they were given nice homes and fed well. Rebaltion is not looking for war, so of course force would make it back down. OCEANS compared to Rebaltion, there is no competition. I believe when the situation is not as dangerous, Rebaltion shall appear much more diplomatic.

Akkadia should be condemed. The attack was unprovoked, we even considered declaring war on Akkadia and aiding Rebaltion in their cause. However, because of Rebaltion’s success, we find it to be unnecessary.

On this particular issue I am a representative of the New Seattle Pact, however when this conversation ends, I shall become a representative of the CSST alone. I do not know the plans of Rebaltion, and I have no power over what they do in Akkadia. I implore you to adopt the policy of the post war climate is the business of Rebaltion and Akkadia alone,” Buchanan answered.

[Galicia-Volhynia]

Reichschancellor Soldatyn thought on the points made by the CSST dignitary. The sun was setting outside of the window, the talks had made the afternoon go by so quickly.

"I stand by the actions taken to defend our commercial shipping. Akkadia and Rebaltion may warmonger all they want within their own waters.And in respect to international law, I have to disagree with you, and international law is not dispensable. There should be some sort of overarching precedent that guides the deliberation of issues like territorial waters. If there were no international law the region would be ruled by the mightiest, without the possibility of recourse for nations like yours or mine."

He thought for a moment.

"On the broader issue, I will consider scaling down the protective action since the conflict seems to combatants seem content to fight a land war. I do this as a personal favor to you and your nation, not for any other. When I return to Muscovy, I will ask War Minister Vezregalia to investigate ways to downsize the action and consult with the allied powers who joined the action about making similar adjustments to the mission and their forces posted in the area."

Just then, his assistant Yuri Mikhonin chimed in. “It is time, your excellency.”

“Ah yes,” Soldatyn responded. “I believe, your grace, that talks should conclude for the day.”

“Agreed,” the CSST Secretary of State said.

“I must, your grace, ask to impose on you, however?”

“How so?” Buchanan asked.

“Well, despite extreme protest from my office, Lord Federov has decided to throw a gala in your honor. I informed him that our visit to Wintergarden was for high affairs of state, but Federov is wont to parade his riches about. Honestly, I grow tired sometimes of the high nobility in the kingdoms, but Archduke Adam's family is very close to the crown.”

“I see.”

“It gets worse, your grace.” He turned to Yuri. “If you would Yuri, please give the box to his grace.”

Yuri produced a large white box delicately tied with a gold and black ribbon. He handed it to Secretary of State Buchanan, whose arms were caught unaware by the weight of the box. “Your grace,” Soldatyn said, gesturing for Buchanan to open the box.

“Varangian galas are more ceremony than party, your grace. Wearing inappropriate clothing, saying the wrong thing, or any other slip of courtly manner brings great dishonor to oneself.”

Buchanan opened the box and pulled out the contents. A heavy robe of golden brocaded silk fell in waves from container. The neck was lined in a luxurious brown fur.

“It is a korolnik, the ceremonial robes that high nobles wore in the old Kingdom of Varangia.”

“What device is this?” Buchanan inquired of the shield sewn in the area of the garment that would cover the left side of his chest had he put it on. It was blood red with yellow stars scattered throughout.

“It is yours, your grace. Yuri was prescient enough to anticipate that the Archduke would want to throw a gala and made arrangements with her majesty’s heraldic college. Her majesty, the Tsarina, has set aside a small plot of land in the south of Samaru for you and has named you the Baron Buchanan, Lord of Lower Miletusia.”

He handed a scroll to Buchanan. “There it is in writing, by her majesty’s own hand.”

Mikhonin then waved the palace guard in and gave boxes to his colleagues. “There are korolniks for your entourage as well. They will have devices that indicate that they are knights of your lordly house.”

Soldatyn rose from the table. “I shall leave your grace to freshen up for the gala. If it pleases you, Yuri will stay behind and review the high and low points of Varangian courtly manner. I shall see you this evening at the Archduke’s table.”

[The CSST]

Buchanan was go greatly honored by what has occurred on this day. He thought of his words carefully, to express his gratitude.

"I am so very greatly honored that I do not know which words would be appropriate to choose. I cannot express it," Buchanan said.

Buchanan then turned to Yuri to speak.

"I would be very appreciative if you could help me with Varaginian Manner. I do not want to make a mistake," Buchanan said. He would not ruin this moment by screwing up in Cultural ceremonies.

[Galicia-Volhynia]

“As you wish, your grace.”

Yuri whispered something to the guard, who soon went out the door.

“I’ve asked the guard to fetch me Lord Federov’s version of the Guide to the Varangian Court. Why don’t you try on the korolniki?”

Another guard showed Buchanen and his retinue to a solar where they could try on the heavy ceremonial robes. They returned to find Mikhonin flipping through the pages of a large, dusty tome. Some pages were dog eared, all of them were yellowed with age.

“That’s some book you have there, Mr. Mikhonin,” one of Buchanan’s men told him.

“Aye, yes it is quite old. It is said that some of the rituals date back to the first king himself, the great Riurik Silnyruky. These traditions have held our people together through the centuries so we cling to them like gold.”

He looked up from the volume and looked them over. “Yes, this will do, the korolniki fit nicely. Make sure that your sigils are always shown.”

“Sigils?”

“Yes, the arms on your lapels. They are everything to the nobility, especially to the high born. It is considered a great insult if you present yourself to them without a sigil. It is equally important that you are able to identify the most noble families by their sigils, and you shall impress them if you are able to identify the more lowborn families by their sigils.”

Assistant Secretary of State Hunter piped up, “so what does the Federov shield look like?”

Yuri smiled. “That’s the right kind of question your grace. White eagle on a blue shield. The Federovs are an ancient family and are particularly close to House Halych, the Tsarina’s family. They are richer then any other family in all of the realm. Their lands are the Archduchy of Baltica and they also hold the title of Overlords of the West.”

Buchanan’s secretary, Thatcher Monty was hurriedly writing notes as Yuri explained who else was going to be there.

“I have also heard rumors that the Treschi family will be there, their sigil is a black bat on a silver field. They are lords of the Duchy of Vystria. You’ll also see nobles with sigils bearing a flowering tree on a golden shield. That would be the House of Dellacqua of the Duchy of New South Ahland. His grace, Maxim Bugarov, the Duke of Ravel will be there. His sigil is a yellow castle on a red shield. I believe that those are the most important houses. There will be others, who will be of lower station then you, lord Baron.”

He looked again at Thatcher, struggling to keep up with what Yuri was saying. The Reichchancellor’s aide stopped purposely to allow Buchanan’s aide to catch up.

“As you are a high ranking diplomat, I suspect that you have requisite social skills to navigate the rest of the dinner. Though your station is quite high, the ladies of the houses of Treschi, Delleacqua, and Bugarov shall present their hand to you for a kiss. You may bring your lips close to their hands without kissing, that is allowable, and I must say, more sanitary for all involved. You will be seated to the right of Lord Federov and the Reichschancellor to his left at the dinner table. And I think that’s it.”

“Thank you Mr. Mikhonin, your insights have been very helpful.”

“It is my pleasure to serve you, your grace. One last thing, your grace, three women will come to your apartments in the palace an hour before the gala. There will be a dance after the dinner and they will teach you how to perform the Varangian Waltz.” He smirked and then said mischievously, “if you thought courtly ritual was complicated, wait until they demonstrate our national dance for you!” He chuckled, then stood up and left, leaving a suddenly talkative Tundran entourage to hurriedly talk about this new development.

--------------------------------------------

The melancholy sounds of a cello solo filled the great hall of Wintergarden. Reichschancellor Soldatyn was in a tuxedo with a white tie. His korolniki was of brocaded black silk with filigrees sewn in silver thread throughout the body. A black shield with a white scroll was embroidered on the upper left region of the long garment.

Roasted meats and vegetable aromas filled the air as waiters weaved in and out of the crowd with silver trays hoisted above their shoulders. One of them sauntered by and brought a tray to waist level, presenting his selection to Soldatyn. He picked one of the crispy packages up and bit into it, savoring the succulent burst of lobster, butter, and what he thought was snowfruit. Just then, a wave of applause burst and the crowd parted. A man called, “his excellency, Zachary P. Buchanan, first of his name, Secretary of State of the Confederated Socialist States of Tundra and Baron of Lower Miletusia and his attendants.”

As the Tundrans cut through the crowd, the lower nobles bowed before him. Reichschancellor Soldatyn did as well, when they finally met each other near the center of the room. Another waiter came by with tall flutes of orange colored effervescent liquid.

“Carbonated cloudberry wine, your grace, it’s a Varangian delicacy.”

He watched as Hunter sipped at the drink. His face scrunched as the liquid registered with his taste buds. Thatcher Monty had a horrified look when he saw the Assistant Secretary of State’s reaction to the drink he had been served. Soldatyn laughed.

“It is quite tart and takes some getting used to.”

A low bell clanged thrice.

Mikhonin poked his head into the group’s conversation. “It’s dinner time, your graces.”

[The CSST]

As the team took their seats, they felt both nervous and honored. Buchanan himself wasn't worried, he enjoyed trying all types of food. However, Dickinson, as he had shown, was not so open to exotic food. He wasn't even open to food at home, often getting similar cuisines. Monty and Shariff were alright, and Buchanan believed he would do alright.

Buchanan and his team decided to only speak when spoken to. And perhaps commenting on the conversation that would be going around the table. The team did not want to say something that would be considered offensive, so the team was to remain rather on the quiet side. Unless, of course, later on they become more comfortable.

Above all, Buchanan's toughest time in his career was at hand...remembering the Varangian Waltz

[Galicia-Volhynia]

“How is your lordship faring?” a young woman that sat across and to the right of him inquired.

“Very well, Duchess Bugarova” Buchanan replied eyeing the red pin with the yellow castle emblazoned across it. His eyes quickly darted to the plunging neckline of the woman’s dress.

She giggled, “I’m not the Duchess, I’m her daughter, Katya.” She looked at him and caught his eye. She then fingered the long chain that hung around her neck, fire red rubies in the shape droplets dangling from it like bloody tears. When she reached the bottom of the chain near at the parting of her breasts, she sighed to heave them upward and gave him a sly, knowing smile.

Reichschancellor Soldatyn coughed, interrupting the brief reverie. Smiling, he inquired about the taste of the morsel set before him.

“It is quite good,” Buchanan said, as his attention turned to the large bowl of noodles in a red tomato sauce that had been served to him. It tasted heavy of garlic and herbs, but the tomato was bright and made the sauce sing. His entourage nodded in agreement. Buchanan felt Lord Federov rise to his left, and then heard the shrill ringing of silver wear against crystal as Federov called those around his table to attention.

“Your attention please,” he requested in a voice approaching stern. Federov was dressed in the Florenzian fashion, a transluscent white silk shirt, a heavy velvet vest, and skin tight black trousers of silk. Buchanan made a mental note to thank Soldatyn for not dressing him in the Florenzian fashion.

“Gentle lords and ladies, “ Federov intoned. “We come here tonight to honor our guest, Zachary Buchanan, the newly enobled Baron of Miletusia and his comrades. It is my honor to host the Baron and to establish the beginnings of a long and fruitful relationship between the United Kingdoms and the Confederated Socialist States of Tundra. I say, in the words long spoken by my ancestors, may the God bring you good health and fortune.” The guests toasted eachother and downed the contents of their glasses.

Music began to fill the chamber as waiters in white jackets and black trousers brought in the meat course.

----------------------------------------------

Soldatyn sat in the conference room as the sun filtered through the window. He hoped to get fully briefed and apprised of current affairs before beginning the second and final day of talks with Secretary of State Buchanan. He scrolled down the email messages in his inbox, looking for something from von Witte.

“Here we go,” he said to himself. As he read the email from his Foreign Minister, Yuri Mikhonin walked into the room.

“Great minds think alike, da Yuri?” he said as his aide pulled out his portable digital device.

Yuri smiled. “It is a shame that you and our honored guests left shortly before they played a waltz, I would have very much liked to have seen you do the waltz.”

“We complain about Rebaltion committing abuses, doing the waltz is ten times worse than anything Rebaltion could have done to our nationals,” the Reichschancellor said, dryly.

“Eh, nichevo.”

“Exactly,” Soldatyn said. He looked up and saw the Marta Yevlensky walking in the door. “Ah, good morning, madame. I trust you slept well Marta?”

“Not quite, Reichschancellor. This lord Federov put me up in a room above the great hall. All I heard was chatter and waltz music.”

Yuri laughed and then caught himself. “My apologies, Dr. Yevlensky. I myself made too much noise, I am sure of it. I take sole responsibility for keeping you tossing and turning through the night.”

They shared a small laugh as the Tundran contingent walked through the door.

“Gentlemen, please sit. Lord Federov’s servants will be bringing refreshments with which we can break our fast, but I propose we go right back at it.”

[The CSST]

Buchanan and his team sat down. Buchanan was overly happy from the events that occurred last night, and he even managed to lessen the blockade on Rebaltion, not as good as eliminating it, but it was good. Now it was time for Buchanan to take the role of the CSST representative.

“Mr. Riechschancellor, if you have anything you’d like to discuss with me about foreign affairs or non-trade related topics please do so. If not, then from this moment on, I am representing the Confederated Socialist States of Tundra, no one more. If you’d like to begin trade discussions, then I am all ears, of course unless there is a more pressing matter,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan sat back to listen to the Reichschanellor’s words. He didn’t know about the rest of his team, but Buchanan felt much, much more comfortable in the United Kingdoms.

[Galicia-Volhynia]

“I believe then, I will yield to my colleague, Dr. Yevlensky,” Soldatyn said. His hand gestured to the older woman to his left. “Dr. Yevelensky has previously spent time as the Minister for Treasury and the Minister for Trade and Commerce for the Varangian Empire, so she is intimately familiar with our position on trade. While she no longer serves in our cabinet, she is a member of the Rada.”

“Alright,” Buchanan said.

Marta Yevlensky was a tallish woman with short, white hair and glasses. During the previous day’s discussion about the blockade, Yevlensky had remained silent while Soldatyn and Yuri Mikhonin presented the United Kingdoms’ justification. Now would be her time to shine.

“Secretary Buchanan, I think I should preface our comments with a general statement. Our expectation is that any trade rights or privileges that come as a result of these talks are strictly between our two state systems. That said, the United Kingdoms and its citizens are keenly interested in opening your market to our goods and services. As with all of our other agreements, the United Kingdoms is generally wary of any sort of tariff or quota system that distorts the free flow of trade, which is beneficial to all in terms of price, quality, and efficiency. Therefore, I urge your grace to acknowledge that the talks should proceed under the paradigm of completely free and fair trade.”

“I should hear more before I make such an agreement.” Buchanan repolied.

“Very well. She handed him a list. Those, your grace, are a list of companies that are interested in establishing operations in the CSST. I will assume that you know that the UKS is a leader in financial services, automobile manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and information technology. Some firms, like Pan-wysterian Airways, donnermachtbeiten Autogroup, and the United Defence Consortium are world beaters. The United Kingdoms can give the CSST access to some of the region’s best goods and services. All we require is the ability to own or lease private property and the assurance of the full protection of law as it applies to employment, copyrights, and contracts.”

“I see,” Buchanan replied.

“In return, these corporations are open to training Tundrans to work in these factories, thereby providing employment to the citizens in areas where these companies are based. Further, these companies will commit to providing improvements to infrastructure to the immediate vicinity of their facilities. How does this sound, your grace?”

[The CSST]

"I see no problem with UKS corporations coming into the CSST. However, I implore you to know that there are strict regulations for the private industry, and the UKS Corporations will not escape those regulations. Free Trade has always been an interest of the CSST, and I agree that Free Trade is something that should be supported and expanded," Buchanan replied.

[Galicia-Volhynia]

“I see. Perchance, would your Excellency be able to outline what limitations our corporations would have if they established themselves in the CSST? They need some degree of autonomy to make key business decisions, like who they can hire or fire. I am sure that they will abide by other rules and regulations that my be slightly more onerous then usual, like environmental regulations and advertising restrictions.”

Yevelensky looked over the list. “I am sure you understand what free trade could mean to both our nations. Our companies would be the first from the free world to tap into your virgin markets. Your nation would have access to the regions premier banks and other premier goods and services. Take for instance, Pan-wysterian Airways. It is by far, the largest airline in the entire region. Letting them lease berths at Tundran airports plugs your nation into the largest air network in the region.”

“If you can give us some kind of assurance that our companies can operate in the CSST, even in certain enterprise zones, and that they would retain autonomy to make business decisions that allow them to profit, then the United Kingdoms will move strongly and quickly to establish a free trade agreement with your nation and also urge allies to follow suit.”