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[Nova]

—NOTHING—

[Markus]

From: President of the Duma Yeva Litvin
To: Chairwoman Francine M. A. Therz


Dear Ms. Francine M. A. Therz,

I am more than a bit surprised to see that your Excellency defends the practice that your Church bans in the harshest of terms*. That furthers our suspicion that your government has indeed fallen prey to the machinations of the prince of darkness.
 
The Samantran government whether the secular or the spiritual branch does not deny the faithfulness of the Heyran government to the teachings of your Church in the days long gone of the Great War Era and before. Of that you need not convince us, we gladly acknowledge and honor it. It is the current state of affairs that we are extremely concerned about.

The policy of the Samantran government is to never refuse talks as long there is a reasonable chance to foster peace and understanding rather than discord and conflict. It is for the reason that we accept the proposal of your Excellency and invite Consular Diplomat, Governor Maxime Anginer to Novyy Rim, the spiritual capital of the Holy Kingdom of Samantra, for informal talks with Mrs. Maria Mikhailov, the minister of Foreign Affairs. 

I pray that they find common ground but until then I have instructed the government to speed up work on the proposed legislative measures since I believe our differences on the matter are hard to reconcile.
Respectfully Yours,

Yeva Litvin
President of the Duma
Holy Kingdom of Samantra
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_response_to_assisted_reproductive_technology#In_vitro_fertilization

Maria always made sure she had a cross necklace on display every time she went outside.

Maria Mikhailov was less than pleased with the meeting that was about to take place. She was very ambitious and wanted the top job of President of the Duma but lacked the popularity of Yeva Litvin to get elected. She had hoped the position of minister of Foreign Affairs would be  chance to increase the popularity among the Samantran people and give her a chance to challenge Yeva at the next primary elections in the Republican Party. What she didn’t anticipate was the Yeva would give her all the unpopular tasks like this one while she kept all the popular visits like the one in Nis or the meeting with the Zaporozhs for herself.
So here she was, outside the park of the Cathedral of the Samantran Armed Forces waiting for Maxime Anginer. Not only was she not pleased to deal with Heyrans but she had to also deal with a religious matter and that was outside her control. It’s not like she could influence the position of the Samantran Orthodox Church even if she wanted to.

Just outside the park of the Cathedral of the Samantran Armed Forced, inaugurated in 2014, (sixty years after the end of the Sacred War) was where Maria waited for Maxime.

“Oh well, I just hope this won’t take long” she thought to herself while she waited for Maxime to arrive. She was alone since not only was she in Novyy Rim, arguably the safest city in Samantra, but also near the Cathedral. She knew chances for incidents here were limited and people coming here although recognized her nevertheless respected her privacy since people assumed she was here to pray rather than on business.

Once Maxime had arrived just outside the park, moved towards him and greeted him in a good enough Latin with a pronounced Rodianian accent (ooc: Russian) :

"Welcome, Mr. Anginer! I do hope you had a safe trip here. I am Maria Mikhailov, minister of Foreign Affairs for Samantra. Please walk with me to the Cathedral."

As they made their way to the cathedral they entered the park which featured replicas of Great War Era military equipment which visitors enjoyed playing with:

Maria didn’t want to immediately get down to business since that would be interpreted as rude by Samantran standards so she said to Maxime:

“The Cathedral is dedicated to the Samantran Armed Forces that’s why we have the replicas here. It’s one of the most popular cathedrals in the country.”

While they continued their way to the cathedral, visitors sometimes recognized Maria and gave a short “Hello” to both her and Maxime.

Maria continued: “Is this your first visit to the countries of the Rodinian sea?” she said in an effort to break the ice. They were close to the cathedral so they would get to business soon enough.   

[Markus]

“We take great care to teach our children our values and our history. Do you have any children Ms. Anginer ?”

Maria couldn’t know about all the scenarios going on in Maxime’s head so when he asked she assumed he was worried for his personal safety:

“The President of the Duma, my staff and the Church of course know about our meeting” by church she meant the Patriarch and his staff. “It’s an informal visit that is why there is no security staff but you need not be worried about your safety here. Not only is it a safe city but we are on church grounds. And there is plenty of military personal off duty here. Just look” she discreetly pointed to about two dozen young men who were most like cadets at the military academy.   

Cadets from the Samantran military academy

Maria remembered that Maxime said it was his first visit to the countries of the Rodinian sea and that Heyran diplomatic corps were often understaffed by Samantran standards and that might make Maxime not aware of how Samantrans viewed Heyra so she invited Maxime to go inside.

“Please let’s go inside. I want to show you something” as she said that she took out of her purse and expensive scarf and covered her hair in order to get ready to go inside.

[Markus]

“I do, I have two boys, ages 9 and 6. They truly are a blessing.”

Maria made the sign of the cross as the entered the church and led Maxime inside. As it was a working day and no religious service was planned, the cathedral was mostly empty giving them enough privacy for a conservation.

The interior of the cathedral was full of murals.

Maria guided Maxime to one of the murals of the cathedral:

The mural presented Ardian and Heyran soldiers alongside Samantran ones.

“If you look closely you can see Heyran and Ardian soldiers alongside our men in uniform. This part of the wall is dedicated to the Great War Era. And as you can see, Samantra has not forgotten its allies. “

Since Maria didn’t want to bore Maxime she got to the point:

“This cathedral was consecrated in 2014, it is one of the most important places of worship in the entire country and it gives honor also to the Heyrans for fighting alongside our armed forces in the Great War. That means the respect for your nation runs deep in Samantra and to a man of your standing in the Heyran hierarchy we would never have sent a low ranking diplomat to greet you.”

Before Maxime had a chance to answer, she continued:

“Truth be told, what most Samantrans do not realize is that mural features three countries that no longer exist: the Kingdom of Samantra, the Ardian Empire and the Heyran Restoration if I remember correctly your historical name at that time. Those countries have been transformed and just like Samantra and the Ardian Empire changed I guess so did Heyra. We in the secular government are more aware that Heyra of today is no longer that of Great War but quite a few in the Church and many regular Samantrans still see the Heyra of the past and were shocked by Heyra’s recent Human Enhancement Act.”

“Mr. Anginer, now that I explained where we are coming from, let’s get down to business. What can Samantra do to dissuade Heyra from continuing the Human Enhancement Act and other such legislation?”

[Markus]

Maria was pleased to see that Maxime showed respect in the cathedral. Like many Samantrans she was extremely proud of Samantra’s cathedrals and was very careful about such matters.

She listened carefully to what Maxime had to say and resonated with the plight of the Heyran people. She was not very religious despite the public image she projected but as an Orthodox Christian she had a deep connection to the idea of nation and understood why immigration was not an option for Heyra so she didn’t bring that up.

“The President was the best candidate at the time but Gopd has blessed the Samantran nation with many great contenders for the next election which are willing to serve the public interest” her ambition not letting her pass on the opportunity to comment.

Some Samantrans would have felt shame to hear someone speak of such machinations in the house of the Lord but Maria had no such qualms. She knew what politics was about and she did many questionable deals to get where she was without any regret.

“I understand what the Heyran nation is going though and I am sorry for that. I blame it on the Great War which robbed our nations of their future and their place in Mundus” she said bitterly since she had feelings of revanche about the Great War and felt Samantra lost so much of what was rightfully hers because of the war.

“I am not going to enter a religious debate. You seem to be convinced that whatever options you have, all of them are acceptable to God. The Church ”not wanting to offend she added “our Church disagrees and will sanction you for it. The economic sanctions are being drafted as we speak. I know that your government is not worried about them and thinks that you can avoid them but more nations might follow. Heyra already has an adversary in Rokkenjima and their puppet states. Is Heyra prepared to face more economic troubles?” she said knowing how great the rivalry between Heyra and Rokkenjima was. She couldn’t help but picture it as a David vs Goliath struggle when thinking of the two nations.

“I can’t find a solution to your demographic problem. I am sure more qualified experts have tried but nor can we let your actions go without condemnation for they might spread thought Mundus.”

In order to give Maxime some time to think about what to reply, she went and lit a candle for the souls of the dead.

Maria lit a candle and said in a quiet voice but enough for Maxime to hear: “For the souls of those that perished in the Mhorish Campaign. May God forgive their sins!”

She then continued: “So if there is any chance for this to work, you have to meet me half way. I can’t return to Petrograd empty handed and plead your case to the Church without any sign of good faith from the Republic” she said appearing genuine in wanting to strike a deal. But that was of course mostly because she knew such a deal would help her political career.   

[Markus]

« I thought your religious figures only had authority over education, healthcare and family laws. This hardly concerns any of those fields. So please, do not say that this is your Church’s decision, but rather yours »

“That is like saying that the Square, your biggest four companies, have no say in the affairs of the Heyran Republic” Maria retorted.   

"We are not the ones who have caused your demographic problems, look to the Achkaerin Empire and the rest of the Allies for that. As much as I feel for your people, we didn't cause your problems so don't be surprised we don't have a solution. "

“You are telling me your legislature acts in a vacuum and nobody can tell them how to vote and come here and expect our legislature to be told how to vote, you have not been discreet or put a lid on your press about the whole thing and yet you have suggested that we do that to ours and forgo the right of the people of Samantra to be informed, your own church condemns the practice and expect us to convince ours that what you are doing is right and now above all that you threaten our security and that of our friends in the Rodinian sea? Mr. Anginer, your ancestors died alongside ours for principles but right now I think the Republic is just being stubborn. Were it not for the respect your nation holds in Samantra I would have asked you to leave a long time ago.”

“Let’s stop playing games, I represent Samantra in these talks just as you represent Heyra. I do not ask to meet a representative of your legislature just because this is a matter that needs their consent. I trust your mandate and that what we agree here you can actually deliver and I can assure you that I will manage to pull through if a deal is reached here. Remember you called me just a short while ago an “important figure”, I am the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Holy Kingdom of Samantra. I think the reason for your doubts in my ability is that you might have gotten too used to dealing with “one man show” nations where a single person decides everything but Samantra is not like that and I suspect neither is Heyra. “

“What you have offered so far are services that Samantra could have gotten from the Republic at any time provided that we paid. The price, if you want to call it that, is agreeing to begin talks about how to change your controversial law. Are you ready to begin to talk about that, Mr. Anginer? Because if you are willing to do that I am willing to begin talks about dropping the plans for sanctions and begin talks about engaging in comprehensive cooperation.”

[Markus]

Maria was a bit surprised to see Maxime give in on the legislation issue so she wasn’t that disappointed that the talks were to be kept secret. She understood that no government likes to publicly accept that it has given in on anything because of foreign pressure and that Heyra was no different. She concluded that a potential deal on a partnership of some sort was worth enough to Heyra to be willing to compromise.

“Very well, the talks will remain confidential” she promised with the intent of keeping her word. It crossed her mind how good of a speech she good give to her constituents if the deal could have been made public but she quickly moved away from that thought.

“Considering what you have said about the struggles of country with its demographics I think understanding can be found for your country’s particular situation. So what we would like is for your legislature to take into consideration” she said "consideration" as the most diplomatic term she could find “to amend the law by introducing an explicit mention that it for a limited period of time, as a last resort and only because the nation faces as catastrophe in terms of demographics. Furthermore, a sunset clause for the law of no more than twenty years, so that the law would cease to have any effect after that date is something that we would like to see” she proposed.


“I think the best approach to these talks about cooperation is to talk about our goals so we can give you an idea about where we might cooperate.   

The Samantran government sees the existence of Soviet Rodina as a security threat and the current administration will be more active in countering this threat. A military solution is of course out of the question but economic warfare, within limits, remains an option.

Aside from that the Holy Kingdom is only now becoming active on the Mundus stage. While our diplomatic corps is busy building ties with foreign nations we are looking for partners whether private or not that could help us lobby aboard for our business interest“ she said knowing that Heyra’s expertise in financial matters was world class.   

[Markus]

“All of them are of great concern for us” Maria replied “while nobody will dispute the potential of such research we care more about the human soul and the afterlife than we ever will about the human condition here, on Mundus” she said “we” but she meant the Church since in this particular case she didn’t personally have a strong opinion against or much of an opinion for that matter. “After all what good is it that we prolong our existence here for a few more years or even decades if our souls will spend an eternity suffering because of such actions. This is why in Samantra procedures such as In vitro fertilization are banned.”

Maria sensed protests coming from Maxime so she explained:

“I am just explaining from what position we are expressing our criticism. We haven’t criticized the Republic in the past because we were in a position of relative isolation. “

“However, we are aware that Mundus does not bend to our standards so for the purpose of the legislation we are discussing today,  we draw the line at full cloning of an individual. It is there where we want your legislation to mention that it will be used as a last resort and have a sunset clause.

Most legislation, at least those that we are familiar with, start with a preamble, a statement of intent or a series of principles. In that preamble we want it to be mentioned that such legislation is used only because all other available options have been exhausted. It is if you will like when in a time of extreme crisis, government restricts the rights of individuals. In such cases the legislation mentions that it is because of the imminent danger like in your case the catastrophic decline. Such preambles usually do not have an immediate effect but as years or even decades pass they help in case of litigation to understand what the legislature wanted to achieve with it or what were the circumstances that lead the legislature to adopt it. Such a preamble for example would help clarify to us that the Heyran adoption plan will continue, that other means to stop the decline of the population will be sought. I think that is more than reasonable” she didn’t detail the sunset clause because she wanted to see if there was agreement on the point first. 

“I agree” Maria said referring to the military exercises and sharing of experience. Samantra was a naval nation that largely ignored its tradition in that regard because of its isolation and that was something that the current administration wanted to change. Using only one asset suited Samantran interests since they, for now, wanted to avoid bringing military ships to the Rodinian Sea and that is why she added “we would prefer if the first year you would let us be the guests” hoping that after a year the Samantran position on the Rodinian Sea would be more clear after discussing it with the nations that had access to the Rodinian Sea expect for the Soviets, of course.

“We have yet to sign the Fair Seas Concordat indeed. While we agree the spirit of the treaty and will do our best to respect it, we consider the treaty rather useless at this point without an international body to enforce and handle litigation.” Maria knew that the current administration was not opposed to the FSC but they handle other matters to solve first than deal with a treaty which they say of little importance. If however that treaty became important they could revise their position.

Maria was also in agreement about the facilitation of trade and visas but she proceeded to answer the question without referring to them since she considered that it was obvious that she would agree.

“I am afraid we do not have any special agenda aside from promoting our exports like any nation. We are a modest nation with little ambition” she said with false modesty knowing full well just how ambitious the government she represented was. “In the coming weeks and months our administration is focused on signing deals that will facilitate trade between Samantra and the nations of the Rodinian Sea. After that a long term objective is to see Samantra sign deals with the major untapped markets such as Zimalia, Lijiang, Hassfurt, Kermah Confederation, Djabidjan, Centralia (ooc: at the time of the meeting we had no idea how bad things were in Centralia) “ she then proceeded to mention what was one of Petrograd’s ambitions “all while we try to make the Petrograd the premier financial center for the Rus’ region”. Petrograd wanted to become the undisputed financial center of the Rus’ states despite the fact that Chistopol not only had a larger population but was already a member of SUN. She thought about discussing about the other grand ambition of Petrograd which was to expand its influence in the three states of Burytia, Elista and Tuva by buying much of their energy producing capabilities and making them dependent on Petrograd but she decided against it. She figured it was too early for that. After all, all these plans about cooperation were pointless if a gentlemen’s agreement could not be reached regarding the Heyran legislation. 

[Markus]

« We well agree on that Mrs Mikhailov » I said with a satisfied tone, at her, over the point of cloning legislation. « However you naturally understand, that for formalities views and appearances, it is better for such change to appear unnoticed for us, in 6 months, when I’ll decide to… » I continued, hesitating a big at how to introduce it to the public, « Ease, shall we say, the legislations, and omit the legality of cloning » I concluded, something that should well please her, as I remained eager to get on the more, positive point, shall we say, of our meeting, something that we may build, that we may achieve, rather than pitiful politics about appearances and religious matters who only old fanatics thought were important.

“We have no problem and understand the “constraints” of your legislative process. Naturally, until the changes in your legislation are implemented our planned future cooperation will not advance beyond planning”. As far as Maria was concerned waiting a few months suited the Samantran government who wanted first to announce to the press singing trade deals with neighboring Rus’ states and only later advancing to other more distant partners.

I was delighted at how constructive as soon as such point regarding cloning was lifted, things were becoming. « Naturally » I affirmed at the idea of first exercises being held in the Mathilda Channels, given the lack of stability and established diplomatic blocks in the Rodinian sea. « As for the Fair Seas Concordat, I can ensure you that it is well enforced. Rokkenjiman recent deployment, even if arrogant and stupid, show well how important it is in their eyes… Even if they do not hesitate to breach it. However each time it have been breached, we have let known, through diplomacy, but equally through concrete and tangible assets, our opposition to the violation, and we even made sure that such violations wouldn’t be able to be done, such as with the embargo on Slava Lavosk or Merina, or again with Zimalia when some nation, Achkaerin to not quote it, were in clear violation of such, where we met them strongly » I tried to show, in favour of the concordat, and how in the end, it remained in the hands of all its signatories to make sure it was respected, and that even if we had been hardly beaten by some countries trying to discourage us, Heyra remained open to trade with anyone, and the freedom of navigation, alongside of trade, was something essential in our foreign policy, to make sure such happen.

Maria was not too convinced by MAxime arguments. If anything, it would seem the Fair Seas Concordat was more trouble than it was worth but since the matter was trivial she proceeded to give a diplomatic response:
“Then I will transmit the suggestion President for consideration. Thank you.”

« Quite interesting strategy » I commented at Mrs Mikhailov’s description of their diplomatic endeavour, « Escaping from the main financial hubs is always better, know that for financial transactions we would be delighted to help you with The Credit, and that shall an agreement regarding our economic ties may be reached, it would allow Samantran goods and finances, to reach more easily nations members of M.I.C.A., A.A., A.K.O. and others, such as the Empire of Tamora, that even if I suspect you are not most fond of, you cannot ignore the great market they do represent, specially in terms of opportunities and investments » I declared, letting subtlety known that such investments may take place, without ever having to state publicly your name or even nationality, thanks to the secrecy policies applied in Heyra, something most useful when coming to money, since money holds no inherent morale, money don’t judge you. After all, it was the whole point of Elysium’s existence.

Maria was aware that for Petrograd to succeed in its endeavor to be the premier financial hub of the Rus’ countries it would need all the help it could get. 
“And how would the Credit help us exactly?” unconvinced that it could benefit the Petrograd Stock Exchange or Samantran financial sector in general. 
Maria couldn’t help but think that if a deal would be reached with Heyra then those “goods and finances” from all the places mentioned including Tamora could end up in Samantra with no control from the Samantran government which would be a potential nuclear fallout if such a deal would ever be made public not to mention upsetting all the domestic businesses of Tamora. The fact that among them were Tamoran goods or capital was the least of her problems. 

“So all those countries and regions would have access to the Samantran market in return? Do I understand correctly?”

« We equally may have common interests regarding the development of new defense system » I let open as a window, for potential transactions regarding such.

“Cooperation of defense would require high level of trust between our countries, similar to what we had back in the Great War Era and before. It is possible for us to reach that level but for now it is beyond the scope of these talks”.
Samantran defense industry was one of the major donors of the Republican Party of Samantra so any foreign deals on defense had to also consider their interests.

[Markus]

As Maxime explained the role of the Credit and how signing a deal trade deal would mean a back door trade deal with M.I.C.A., A.A.,A.K.O., the Empire of Tamora and others, she started realizing just how extensive Heyran back door scheming was. They had managed to trick dozens of countries on several continents that were now basically in one trade area without them even realizing it. Or maybe there were bribes involved in all these countries? Or maybe she didn't really understand how this whole deal operated? She was starting to believe the last part was the case but Maxime had been quite clear that in such a deal those countries would have access to the Samantran market.

And that was just the trade deal but the Credit was also a bombshell. Such a tool could be used for money laundry and financing of terrorism on a Mundus wide scale. It could be used by Rodinian agents to bribe Samantran officials or to fund illegal activities in Samantra. The possibilities were endless; most of them provided a serious security risk for Samantra. She was no stranger to tax evasion and some of her most powerful donors, the people who pulled her strings, were probably involved in shady deals she suspected. However, what Maxime was presenting here was in a different league.

All these possibilities and scenarios started giving Maria a headache. She would need to tread carefully goingforward:

"Such a trade deal would have serious implications. Literally overnight the Samantran market would be flooded with goods and services from all those countries. You can imagine the disruptions it would cause, disruptions which would not go unnoticed by both local manufacturers or consumers. It's a lot to unpack and I would need to consult with the President on this." She said without even mentioning the Credit.

She decided to share some of her concerns by approaching the topic of the communists:

"I am very pleased that Heyra sees the Reds for the threat that they are." She didn't add that a Soviet led Mindus would likely not be kind to Heyran capitalism.

"The Samantran government is determined to contain them diplomatically by isolating them further from the Rus' informal community of states and by containing them militarily. And the government is willing to spend considerable resources to that end. We have plans to significantly increase defense spending as well as dedicate resources for other soft power approaches.

That being said, I hope you don't take offense in me asking this but you have shown "extreme flexibility" in approaching the Reds, you were willing to support them just a half and hour ago. Your Credit to my understanding could be used by them against Samantra. What guarantees do I have that should Samantra decide to coordinate on the matter with Heyra our plans don't end up in the hands of the Reds for one large lump sum in Credits that is untraceable and outside the control of your government ?"

[Markus]

« Don’t have to be overnight » I’d immediately defend about the trade treaty, as an announcement, and progressiveness of its implementation could be key. « Such disruptions haven’t happened, or very little, from what we could observe, since in the end it is used with a tea spoon » I’d clarify, as to put back into reality rather then project about worst case scenarios, knowing that, « Plus, protectionism only delays the inevitable » I commented, since as the Mundus is becoming more and more globalised, such was inevitable if Samantra wished to remain on the edge of innovation and productivity, rather than lagging behind other economies. « That is the interest we see in Samantra » I’d further add, letting know that as she promised me after all a profitable treaty as we are historical friends by her words, I’d be disappointed and maybe see otherwise things, or have a hard time selling those to the National Council. « Samantra would be proposing a stick, and would seem hesitated on the carrot » I simply commented, not further clarifying my words.

Maria wasn’t very concerned about Samantra’s productivity and innovation when that was put in the balance of the interests of her backers or the possibility of her not getting reelected. She was however extremely preoccupied over the possibility of signing a trade deal that apparently covered half of Mundus.

“You will excuse me if I imagined that a deal with Heyra would cover Heyran goods and services only and not a dozen other nations” she said annoyed at Maxime pressure. “There is no way on Mundus that cars manufactured in say East Moreland end up in Samantra without tariffs and Samantran auto manufacturers are naive enough to believe they were manufactured in Heyra.  Believe me when I say they’ll notice and request a public inquiry. We can stall such an inquiry for months, maybe even a year or two but we won’t be able to stop it and it would eventually expose that Samantra trades with basically half of Mundus without the Duma (ooc: Samantra’s unicameral legislature) consenting to such a thing. There’s just no way we can commit to that.”

“So we will either have to find some way to limit the trade agreement to just Heyra or I am afraid we cannot go further on this.”

Since Maria was of the opinion they had reached a major stumbling block in the talks she didn’t feel the need to addresses the other points regarding the Reds.

[Markus]

A period of transition would kick the can down the road leaving it for the next administration to handle the fallout thought Maria. It was a nice idea and one that she appreciated even though it still didn’t address the core of the issue and thus was forced to reject it.

“It is an interesting proposal but I am will be frank and turn it down, it will not gain the support of the Duma. Anything that would lead to Samantra trading with so many nations in a non-transparent manner is dead on arrival in the Duma.”

“Does Juhi have a separate status in Heyra? Maybe we can find an agreement that covers only that state of Heyra and only the goods and services produce there?”

[Markus]

“I am a bit surprised to hear that Heyra is a unitary nation. The word unitary is not written in your constitution as far as I remember and you have states in your Republic and even a acticle allowing other sovereign states to join. Your Republic spans multiple continents and has several ethnicities of which Juhi is perhaps the largest. Under a unitary state I would expect a larger presence of Juhi nationals in your government“. Maria mentioned it because she was under the impression Maxime was not being honest with her over this.

“I do not believe our time was wasted. Giving diplomacy a chance is always worth the try. It might not have worked this time but we have our conscience clean that we gave it our best.

It’s been a pleasure” Maria said extending her hand for a shake and thus concluding their meeting.