"Most wonderful," Beatrice said approvingly. "Unfortunately, in the era following the Andean Genocide, I saw partly from the sidelines a 'lost era' for Rokkenjima; whether it be those unwilling to act, or those acting merely to please international powers and their every whim. Such a state of affairs leads to inconsistency, and it is that which I must fully tackle in my return to the Throne. Don't get me wrong I love and trust Princess Evanthe with all my heart and believe her direction was born of genuine concern, but the results prove that approach was not only unsustainable, but wrong for Rokkenjima."
"In our relationship, for example, we were tested to great extents and, eventually, our mutual dedication to that relationship won. To reflect that and address the concerns I have spoken of we must adjust Article VI to reflect its original intent. Here it is in its present form," Beatrice said, handing Kadassa a small piece of paper with the offending Article upon it.
ARTICLE VI
For the purpose of contributing to the mutual security of Rokkenjima and Lakhzovia, as well as the maintenance of international peace and security in Ardia and Cotf Aranye, both parties are granted the use by its air and naval forces of facilities, ports and air fields in each nation.
"I believe it should instead be worded to ensure that such uses fall under agreed upon scenarios, and not a blank check for either of us to arbitrarily station forces upon our whims; not that I suspect either of us would, of course. Furthermore, I feel that our respective vessels and aircraft should be able to refuel and take on provisions if need be at our respective facilities. Essentially, we simply need to word it so that we're not opening holes that weren't intended, though I trust we both recognize what the original intent was and will redraft the Article to meet that intent."
"Something more akin to this, for example."
ARTICLE VI
For the purpose of contributing to the mutual security of Rokkenjima and Lakhzovia, as well as the maintenance of international peace and security in Ardia and Cotf Aranye, both parties shall allow, in times of crisis or conflict, the use by its air and naval forces of facilities, ports and airfields in each nation. Such use shall be at the discretion of each party dependent upon the situation at hand. The air and naval forces may take on provisions and fuel at each others respective facilities.
"With the Union we have two options; observer membership so Lakhzovia can feel things out and, should that not work in a manner which Lakhzovia feels best benefits its interests, we've seen cases in the past where non-members enter into agreements with the Union to further economic ties and mutual benefits." Returning to military and intelligence matters Beatrice made note of ICON, a point she wished to address with Kadassa prior to the interruption of her reign.
"One manner of further cooperation would involve some assistance in filling gaps in the resources of ICON; quite simply, our network finds itself in need of new radar installations in the Krimeon region, supplementing the broader assets of the network. While Imperial High Command is resistant to open full access to ICON resources beyond Rokkenjima and Dartfordia, they would be willing to provide for the Lakhzovian military access to the military-grade global satnav services provisioned by ICON. There are other areas, however, we may approach those once we've covered this proposal."
