Afternoon at a Dacha

[Viljandi]

12:00pm Kavov, Zydarin Oblast, Imperial Federation of Skalvia

Empress Tanya Ulisi Ydrakov I, the first Empress of a now post imperial Skalvia since her mother Katarina Elmar Ydrakov took the reigns as Empress Regent in 1998 and then abdicated and handed the crown over to her daughter in 2009. Tanya was only 21 then and 14 years went by so fast. She wasn’t the youngest leader the Imperial Federation had but when she ascended the throne, many of her peers were trying to hook up at nightclubs, studying, drinking and having a good time, a time; all the while she was at meetings with her advisors about economic development, and improving Skalvia’s diplomatic standing after the brutal and ultimately disastrous War of Balthnian Independence from 1992-1997.

Now 35 years old with a 7 year old daughter named Zoya, a small bright blonde-haired blue-eyed little girl. She never told anyone aside from her mother who the father was, however a few people back in the mid 2010’s would recall her taking frequent secret trips to the Republic of Sverigen within the Union of Vynlandia and the Balthnian Republics. It was autumn and she had a large security detail with her guarding her property. A small Dacha about 30 kilometers north of the small town of Kavov. It was a small harbor town facing the sea of Balthnia; once known as the Lake of Balthnia not too long ago. The air was crisp, little Zoya was inside occupied by a colouring book, her mother preferred that than her mindlessly playing video games when she wasn’t at school.

She was waiting for an important guest, a leader that she has been wanting to reach out for a long time. High Commissioner Jorman Sygvaldi, she wants to reach out to that man. The war fought many ears ago, though it was lost on her country’s side. Tension still exists, and irridentism has been known to occasionally in an implicit way rear is ugly head. Skalvia for its crimes against humanity committed on the people of the people across the sea now Sea of Balthnia has been walled off diplomatically and not given a chance for redemption, she knew if this were to continue that her late father Emperor Sergey Vladislav Grogorvich’s ugly and venomous form of fascism will resurface, not from her however, but throughout Skalvian society. She went inside a looked wistfully at her daughter colouring and hugged her daughter and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

“Whats wrong mummy?” Zoya asked with a confused look on her face. “Nothing krolik.”

[Baal]

A tall man standing at 189 cm tall (6’2) open the door and got out of the government car infront of the Dacha, he was escorted by his own security detail and the Emoress’ as well at the moment of pick up from Kavov harbour. He got a small cruise ship over the Sea of Balthnia from the harbour city of Talvin in Republic of Estoza.

His name was Jorman Sygvaldi. Elected as High Commissioner of the UVBR, a veteran of the Balthnian War of Independence, a former field medic and then a board-certified doctor 10 years after the war ended.  He was conscripted as a junior when the war started, and by the time the war ended he had lost his older brother and father. His brother was a sniper who eventually got sniped himself a year before the war ended, and his father died to a landmine Infront of him. Trauma which he is still recovering from to this day, he used to have nightmares, but over time they have faded.

Jorman was now 55 and for a long time after it was just him and his sister Kristina who is now an accountant with her own mid-sized firm in the Republic of Danskia, and his mother who lives as a retiree in the Sverigen countryside. Since then, he has made a life for himself. Having 2 children his oldest is 23 who is in his second year of grad school and his youngest is 19 who is in her second year at undergrad.

He didn’t know what to expect from the Empress’ invitation, much less to her own personal retreat. It was autumn, brittle cold setting in and proof that winter was on the horizon. He was wearing a white shirt, charcoal black suit with a red tie. He was greeted with a few black suited security personnel and searched. He was given the clear to go inside.

[Viljandi]

Empress Tanya greeted High Commissioner Sygvaldi and hugged him with open arms. She had a bright smile on her face. “Jormin.” She spoke with a seemingly familiar casual tone even though she hadn’t met him beyond today, however she would give off the feeling that she was a rather casual leader. “I’ve been wanting to meet with you for a long time.” The inside could be described as old-world rustic, hard wooden floorboards with a Yuzati rug tying the room together with hard wooden outlined furniture with a 19th century but retro fitted design in a mid-century styled overtone added to a cozy atmosphere of the room and would set the tone for the meeting itself. “Please sit”

She sat down gesturing to the sofa on the opposite side of the wooden coffee table with a wooden duck ornament and a vase full of sunflowers. She had heard the High Commissioner’s story, how he was a veteran, how he was responsible to keeping troops alive and served mostly in medical tents, how his brother died in the long 6 month Battle of Värmea, how he witness his father die in his arms after bleeding out due to loosing his left leg due to a landmine planted by soldiers of her country. She didn’t know how to start or approach this meeting, but she knew that this had to initiate some dialogue.

“I’m sure you have questions as to why you are here Commissioner.”  One of the staff the Empress and the High Commissioner some coffee in matching pure white fine china cup and saucer sets, the coffee was from the Qumran Oblast, in the nations southwest on the coast. They’re coffee was called Raf, the drink was prepared by adding cream and vanilla sugar to a single shot of espresso and then foaming the mix with a steam heater, the drink is popular throughout the Skalvian Imperium.

She wanted to give off the feel of a normal person, not an Empress, but a normal person. Her mother admired her skill for her people skills and approaching situations with a calm demeaner and a relaxing presence. A feature that distinguished herself from many leaders within the established order in her country.

“I’m just going to just rip off the band aid. High Commissioner. I am aware that my country is hated throughout the region. I’m aware of my father’s policies and decisions leading to the ruination of…Many lives…I mean I understand that hatred. Millions of people of your generation and a little younger would have memories of that horrible war decades ago. Since then however no-one on either side of that hyper militarised border haven’t approached each other…I wish to change that today…In order to do that however. I will need your help.” 

[Baal]

High Commissioner drink his coffee. It was stronger than what he usually drinks but it reminded him of the type of coffee that the people of Suomiland drink, and then delicately placed the coffee on the coffee table. He look at her for a few seconds, thinking about his words carefully.

“Empress, or is it…Tanya? I appreciate the sentiment. I do understand where you are coming from. I admit had your father been in front of me right now and not yourself then this would be a different conversation. I am aware that some of the older generations of both of our nations have axes to grind. Since 1998, a new day a new regime under your mother. I can tell however seeing you look over to your daughter, you don’t want her to inherit this legacy.”

He sighed and spoke in a frank tone. “Your nations economy is not as developed as you would like it to be. So far as I know doesn’t have a comprehensive safety net, your nations military is behind to say the least, and to top it off diplomatically your nation is seen as a pariah. You have an uphill battle your majesty…So you want my help? I’m all ears, but first…Tell me Empress, what exactly is it you want? Where do you see Skalvia in the next decade? Or better yet, your reign in general?”

[Viljandi]

The Empress pauses for a few seconds. "Well Commissioner, I can't argue with what you said. I mean if it were up to me all that happened in the 90's between us wouldn't have happened. But I was a child. As for your question....I just want Skalvia to be normal. Not a neo imperialist power, not some fascistic or irridentist state. A country where whenever mentioned is not considered the evil country. We've been rather isolationist since the late 90's early 2000's our only interaction on the world  is selling minerals and natural gas to nations and that is it. Our diplomacy has been rather...Transactional...I want to move beyond that. Starting with your country...I understand, like I said before your people have every right to hate us. Especially the Republics of Estoza, Lavonia and Lithania, their entire countries were burnt. Sadly the generation with living memories will not forgive us and I get that. Nearly every citizen has friends and relatives that they will never talk to again."

She paused again and took another few sips of her coffee "Know this Commissioner...So long as I'm on the throne. neither Vynlandia nor the Balthnian republics will have anything to fear from Skalvia. If you wish you can present a document for me to sign at a location of your choosing and I'll sign the non-agression agreement. As for the reforms and things I want to do in my reign. Well I want to ensure some form of peaceful economic development, , that is my to[p priority right now. defence policy wise I need to retrain my military under a new doctrine of a fortress defence in depth strategy rather than rapid mobile mobilisation...But more importantly more than anything I want 2 things more than anything. I want to get rid of the notion of this ridiculous Skalvy Myr...I believe you are familiar with that venomous ideology. and...I want to at least start a new chapter and get rid of this diplomatic wall between us."

She looked at her daughter Zoya on the swing outside "I don't know what that would look like but I know that we have to do something different because this wall of isolation isn't working, and I want to make this country at least a decent place to live, so when my daughter out there ascends, she will not have such an up hill battle.It's that simple High Commissioner. Aside from that. I am completely open to suggestions."

[Baal]

High Comissioner Sygvaldi sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation and took another sip of his coffee. “You want your nation to be on the path of redemption. That is what I am hearing. It is a good thought. There are however many people on both sides who have living memory of those times…Myself among them…Buth this is not about me, or us. We won the war, but the peace is still in question. So we need close the door of doubt.”

He put down his coffee stared at the window outside for a few seconds. “I have had this idea in my head for a few months now...Market integration…This isn’t a cure-all your majesty. I am merely offering a chance for free trade of goods and services across borders, lowering tariff and non-tariff trade barriers…We’ll see how that goes and if well, everything comes later. I’ll of course have to sell this to the Confederal Directorate and Constituent Assembly…But for now. That’s all I can offer, but it’s a start.”