Christian Atandje; No. 5 Citadel Park, Nigyia, Merina
Christian listened patiently as Alya ran through her presentation, jotting down a couple of notes attentively. He was well aware of the Free Merinan Association's machinations, though nonetheless grateful for the Tamoran's show of support. Like most of Nguessa's lieutenants, Christian also had a military background - as an artillery subaltern, in fact - though this had been many years ago, and he was rather relying on the content of a preemptive defence briefing a couple of hours earlier to respond.
"That is quite the suggestion" He remarked thoughtfully in response "And quite a bit to unpack, if I may say so"
"With regards to your offers, while these are all most generous, there's a couple of points I'd like to query before agreeing to anything. First, regarding this satellite surveillance scheme, what form would this be taking? I mean, would you be looking to pass across satellite imaginary on a request basis - in which case our own airborne reconnaissance assets would be equally capable - or providing our armed forces with native access to these systems? It might sound like a trivial distinction, but I am assured such details are pertinent"
"On your second point, and similarly, what would be the arrangement with these fighter jets? Would these be flown by Tamoran crews or Merinan? And if the former, would this be done openly? I ask for two reasons: one, the Merinan Air Forces already operate a number of aircraft types, and are somewhat reluctant to take on more, and, two, having Tamoran aircraft operating from Merinan bases would provide a degree of diplomatic deterrence against unfriendly interventions, so to speak"
"With regards to your third" Christian grimaced internally at this point; mercenaries tended to grate on him "While good men are always appreciated, and my government do indeed already employ a number of such men, I believe that having regular Tamoran troops in the field would carry much the same benefits as having Tamoran aircraft in our skies. Whilst our warmongering neighbors may not think twice about bombing Merinans, they would, I believe, not dare strike against Tamorans in the same way. Even in small numbers, regular Tamoran troops would shift the balance of power in the region substantially"
"In this vein, I've a suggestion of my own to make" Christian smiled "We anticipate that our neighbors may engage in a degree of gunboat diplomacy against us, seeking to leverage their significant arsenals of standoff and airborne weaponry against us, while being unwilling to deploy ground forces. To forestall such designs, we'd be interested in discussing the supply of more modern anti-aircraft systems - either to our own forces, or to be operated by the Tamorans. Is this something you'd be willing to consider?"
At this point, Christian paused momentarily for breath, before continuing:
"In terms of what we can do for you, I have a few concerns also. Foremost, while my government are not like to be overly concerned by this kind of spiritual mission, I can make few promises as to the kind of reception you are likely to receive from the public in such an enterprise. The back-country, in particular, is not exactly what you might call a bastion of religious tolerance, and I'd hesitate to allow our security forces sufficient latitude to escort such a mission effectively in the current climate. Without our base, we will never win this war, you see, and our base overwhelmingly views your Prophet as something of a heretic"
"Of your third and fourth points, there are no reasonable grounds for objection; you have proven reliable partners in these regards thus far, and I, for one, share your belief that this relationship can and will continue to blossom in future. Your final request does trouble me somewhat, however. The Rokkenjimans are not the kind of people we would cross easily. To what end would this information be used?"
