The A & A Talks

[Aosta]

To His Imperial Majesty Emperor Marco of Abertone

While at the recent talks about establishing a cross Straits of Shaw organisation it became very clear to me that our two nations share many views on the region and how nations can and should co-operate. As a result I would like to explore whether these can lead to even better co-operation between our two Empires. If permissable I would like to meet you in the Eastern part of your Empire and discuss such matters with you, perhaps at one of the stadia being used for your world cup?

Best Regards

Empress Serena of Aosta

[Abertone]

LAFAIGI

Lafaigi was not the beautifully constructed in the same way the Western capital of Abertone was. It was made up of a large central plaza, many of its stone tiles cracked, surrounded by impressive white buildings that upon closer inspection seemed to be less grand and simply white washed, in some area the paint was peeling to reveal to grey stone underneath. Beyond this plaza there were modern modern buildings erected from glass and concrete, an attempt to try and modernise the city. As you headed north the city began to get greener yet to the south first came a small river valley that was home to a great deal of the capitals industry. Beyond that the planned city turned into a maze of harsh, squat brick buildings with corrugated iron roofs, the slums housed some of the poorest in the Empire but a great deal of work had been done to tidy them up for the world cup and of course no tourists would come here and certainly the Emperor wouldn't dream of it.

Today he was rather looking forward to the day. When his cousin Graziano had returned from the talks in Rokkenjima he had been pleased with the creation of the ADSN and happily had added his approval to that of his trusted consul. Graziano had informed him that it had been Empress Serena of Aosta who had done a great deal of the hard work and that Graziano had been impressed by the young Empress. Marco knew very little about Aosta except for the fact that it was ruled by a pretty young Empress and so therefore he was delighted to have the chance to host them. There was a game that evening and the stadium would be packed with fans but high up in the VIP lounge the Emperor would be able to speak privately with the Aostans with one eye on the game while more than likely Graziano did the hard work. Before then however Marco had gone to the airfield the military had on the edge of the city to greet the Empress.

There was the usual pomp and ceremony. Members of his Imperial guard clad in black and gold uniforms lined a red carpet arranged so that once the Empresses aircraft had come to a stop she would be able to walk onto the velvet threads and greet Marco. "Is she single?" He asked his cousin as the aircraft touched down.

"I believe so" Graziano rolled his eyes. "She is though very business like so please try and be likewise."

"When am I not?" Marco said with only a feint snigger. "Now anything I should know last minute." He asked

"Not a thing" Graziano replied as the Empresses aircraft opened up.

[Aosta]

The Empress was a sports fan but football was not really her thing but she knew Abertone enjoyed it and so hoped that the meeting being at a game might help create a more relaxed atmosphere. Naturally she was a little weary of meeting Marco due to his reputation and while Serena was not arrogant she knew that she had a fair few male admirers. She was just praying that the Emperor would be professional and that Graziano would be present. The Consul had seemed a solid diplomat during their meeting in Rokkenjima and she was keen to discuss several matters with them.

She had opted for a Aostan blue suit with plain white shirt underneath, nothing elaborate but practical business attire. As she exited the aircraft she was accompanied by Captain Olivia Adimari her aide-de-camp who carried with her a red leather briefcase in one hand and a small wooden box in the other. Serena nodded respectfully to the commander of the honour guard and approached the hosts. "Emperor Marco its nice to meet you. Your cousin was a good friend to us in the talks in Rokkenjima. I hope that the two of us can make equally as good a partnership here today." She extended a hand towards the ruler. She then turned to Graziano, "I have for you a small gift" She turned to where Olivia had placed the briefcase down and removed a small packet and handed it the Empress. "For you" Serena said with a smile, it was a small pack of supermarket pasta, "I hope you will now be able to see the wonders of our own agriculture sector." She said with a chuckle remembering some of the opening talks that helped the two nations find their commonalities. "Now a nice pasta needs a equally good beveridge." She now handed the Emperor the wooden box. "A 1904 pressing from one of our estates vines. I hope that perhaps you will join with me to have a glass once we finish our talks. I believe the two of us can work to take the ADSN further than I would be perhaps willing to with other nations. I think your cousin and I have created a solid foundation but like in Aosta all things end up before the throne so with the utmost respect to your cousin I think we need to it down and get to grips with things."

[Abertone]

Marco was relieved to see that Serena had a sense of humour. He handed the pasta off to one of the staff with some instructions and then returned to his seat. He examined the wine and then took a corkscrew from off the table. As one of the staff moved forward he gestured for them to stop and continued opening the bottle himself. He removed the cork with a pop then whafted the cork under his nose. "Hmmm......I'm looking forward to it, after of course some success after all the wine does need to breath a little before we enjoy it." He placed the bottle in a cooler on the table and then settled back to talk with the Empress. "Now the ADSN was a good start but from what my cousin has said it was an attempt to basically create a free for all among strangers. That is something that we want no part of. We though are more than happy to co-operate with nations whom we believe share our outlook, as a result we sit here today. Now the first thing I'd like to discuss with you....that is of course if you are of the same belief. Is some manners of sharing intelligence and some military co-operation. The Straits of Shaw have sadly got two rather volatile aspects to it and as such I believe we need to support each other."

[Aosta]

Serena considered what Marco had to say. "Thankfully it would seem that the Eastern side of the Straits is much calmer than the west. Short of the situation in Lodja a while back we are thankfully rather more stable than your neighbours in the West." Serena began. "I am keen to ensure that the instability in Ardia does not plunge us all into a wider war. As such I think such a measure would be a good idea. I would propose to begin with we look at an agreement that we would inform each other of any terrorist or military action that would impact the region. That way we can be prepared. I would also like to establish a joint agency to monitor shipping in the region. While the Straits have not yet experienced piracy like other parts of Mundus I'd rather be pro-active and if possible we can help monitor shipping in the aftermath of flashpoints like the recent Rokkenjima-Daito conflict."

[Abertone]

Marco agreed with the vast majority of what Serena was saying. While he didn't agree that Ardia was as unstable as it seemed the Empress did he still had concerns. As a result he was going to be more than happy to make the agreement. "I believe you are proposing a good way forward."

Graziano nodded his approval and then placed his digital tablet on the table. "Perhaps this agreement?" He asked

It has been agreed between the Empires of Abertone and Aosta that the following measures shall be taken.

1. The two Empires agree that they shall share any intelligence that would suggest a suspected attack on the other.

2. Where one of the Empires suspects that in sharing intelligence they would risk their own national security they are not obliged to share.

3. Intelligence of any impending military action by another nation likely to impact the region is to be shared.

4. There shall be established the Dual Empire Network which will maintain active monitoring of shipping in the Straits of Shaw to ensure maritime trade security.

5. Where there is belief that shipping is under threat vessels allocated to the Dual Empire Network will respond.

6. There shall be joint military exercises between the two nations with at least one naval and one land based exercise a year.

7. The two Empires shall maintain active anti-piracy operations in the region.

[Aosta]

Serena examined the document. "I'm broadly inclined to say yes however there is something that I would wish to add, we're focusing very much of 20th Century style security and obviously we have moved on since then. I wish to add the following."

In recognition of the evolving threats in the digital domain, both Empires agree to collaborate on joint research and development initiatives in the field of cybersecurity. The goal is to enhance the collective ability to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats that may pose a risk to the security and stability of either Empire. This collaboration may include the exchange of expertise, technology, and information to fortify the digital resilience of both nations.

[Abertone]

Graziano and Marco looked at each other and smiled before each shrugged their shoulders at the other. "I'm afraid that despite the both of us having a past that includes the military." The Emperor explained, "Graziano here was a pilot, a very good one, while I was a bandsmen. Neither of us are what I would consider tech savvy. We are both aware though that this idea of cyber warfare is perhaps the next generation of the battlefield. With that in mind I think it highly sensible that we include some kind of provision like you are suggesting. I think perhaps as this is a new frontier of warfare I'd like to ask if you'd be interested in perhaps running a joint military unit dedicated to this. Naturally the provision of the treaty can be added in and I fully support it."

It has been agreed between the Empires of Abertone and Aosta that the following measures shall be taken.

1. The two Empires agree that they shall share any intelligence that would suggest a suspected attack on the other.

2. Where one of the Empires suspects that in sharing intelligence they would risk their own national security they are not obliged to share.

3. Intelligence of any impending military action by another nation likely to impact the region is to be shared.

4. There shall be established the Dual Empire Network which will maintain active monitoring of shipping in the Straits of Shaw to ensure maritime trade security.

5. Where there is belief that shipping is under threat vessels allocated to the Dual Empire Network will respond.

6. There shall be joint military exercises between the two nations with at least one naval and one land based exercise a year.

7. The two Empires shall maintain active anti-piracy operations in the region.

8. In recognition of the evolving threats in the digital domain, both Empires agree to collaborate on joint research and development initiatives in the field of cybersecurity. The goal is to enhance the collective ability to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats that may pose a risk to the security and stability of either Empire. This collaboration may include the exchange of expertise, technology, and information to fortify the digital resilience of both nations.

9. There shall be a jointly created and funded military unit dedicated to cyber warfare run by the two Empires.

[Aosta]

"A joint military unit?" Serena said in a tone that expressed concern. "While I think this can be a long term aim I think its too early in our relationship. It would require a change in our chains of command and intelligence networks. I think for now the eight articles that we have on this matter are good enough. Perhaps as a compromise on point nine we can say that we shall begin a feasibility study into how this joint unit could work. It will give us time to see if the rest of this works and if so that will allow us to better understand how your joint unit idea could work."

"If that is agreeable perhaps we can move onto looking at an educational programme between us. We have seen how East Moreland made a success of their More and Mundus programme and how its helped them gain a better understanding of the world. I think therefore we should look at establishing two things. The first is a large scale exchange programme between us. The second is that we make it easy for University students to access studies in both our Empires. Ideally I'd like to see it that a large number of our students experience another culture as part of higher education or can capitalise on each of our nations skills. Is that a situation you believe we can move towards?"

[Abertone]

"Perhaps you're right" Marco conceded. "As for the education exchange I believe it could be an excellent idea. Even between the two parts of our Empire at times I believe that there are not enough connections and so it is vital that we look to make sure those mistakes are not extended to the rest of Mundus. As long as our institutions of higher education have a clear comparison between entry requirements then the idea of University students getting to pick and choose between which of the nations they study in is fine by me. Perhaps then we can add the following.

10. The nations shall recognise the educational qualifications of each other in order to apply for higher education opportunities. Institutions shall set minimum requirements for courses and so long as a citizen of either nation meets those requirements they shall be given equal consideration.

11. Students who have secured a further education oppurtunity shall be given a visa for the duration of their course plus 12 months. This visa may be refused if the individual is considered a threat to national security or is believed to be unable to fund their course. No-one on a student visa may work more than 15 hours a week. Once their course is finished they may increase this to 30 hours.

12. Each year a school exchange festival shall take place allowing schools to partner with schools in the other nation. This project shall be subsidised by both nations Ministries of Education.

13. The two nations shall undertake a joint research project into how a joint military cyber security unit would operate.

"Is there anything more we wish to discuss."