3:00 arrived, and the delegates were brought one by one to a meeting room on the other side of the tower. It was clear that some effort had been made in preparing the room to meet the delegates' standards. They'd even brought in a video projector to replace the old overhead projector that had lasted the building through three owners and a war.
The Izhitsans were already seated at the front. On the right side of the room sat Matvey Karamovo and Dushan Ondrevich, and on the left were Antek Dzhavid and Bartolomey Hatsek. The translators fitted the delegates with earpieces before standing behind them and putting on their own. One of Karamovo's assistants, smartly dressed, sat behind a computer which looked like a direct import from 1998.
Dzhavid cleared his throat as a slide depicting a map of Izhitsa appeared on the screen. "Honored guests," he said, "You know why you're here. Izhitsa is unable to feed itself, and as members of both the local community—" he gestured to the Achkaerinese and Clysperi— "and the republican community—" he gestured to the Fleuroix and Tytorians— "you have admirably answered our call for help."
Karamovo coughed. "But," said the Chairman, "you'll need our help to organise your efforts to truly help our people. Next slide, please, Gabriela, thank you." The screen now showed the agenda for the meeting. "First, we'll be explaining the lay of the land and the needs of the people. Then, we'll be discussing what resources you have to spare, before coming to an agreement about the distribution of those resources." He paused for nods and murmurs of agreement.
"Let us begin with the Ved Region," he said. The screen changed to a map of the region.
Karamovo frowned. "Gabriela, wasn't the map supposed to have roads on it?" His assistant shrugged. "Hm. Well, that's okay. First, you'll notice that this is the only region that is split between the administrative zones. This is because the region presents a significant governance problem that can't be overcome by just one alone. As the center of the rebellion, it not only requires significant policing, but also is littered with the discarded mines and munitions of the nationalist cowards."
Dzhavid spoke up. "You'll notice that most of the major cities are on the Izhitska Ednota side, while the more rural areas are under Yachese control. This was done to make use of the communists' labor connections and my own military's mobility advantages." At the phrase 'my own military', Hatsek's face involuntarily twitched into a scowl before quickly returning to its normal, more placid expression. "Ved's most defining feature is its extensive forests, which can be found anywhere there isn't cultivation, and which have been littered with landmines since 2018. Our most pressing food supply issues here are in Fara and Hrada, which each each have about 300000 inhabitants each."
The slide changed to a different region of Izhitsa.
"This is Kher," said Karamovo. "The land is fairly hilly before it joins the Shtan plateau. The area south of Kherhorod has always lived on food imports from Kherhorod. That reliance put about 3 million people at risk of starvation in mining towns across the mountainside once food prices started rising. With our rationing, we've been able to reduce that to about 700000."
Karamovo signaled for his assistant to change the slide.
"This is Dzelo," said Dzhavid, taking a sip of water. "In a way, Dzelo is the reason you're all here today, because it was Izhitsa's traditional breadbasket. The nationalists decided, during their retreat, to burn and loot the countryside while riddling the area with landmines. As a result of this, the area is in almost complete ruin."
Karamovo coughed into his fist. "Not to mention a certain
accident caused by
someone's military in Trkh."
Ondrevich tapped him on the shoulder. "Chairman, perhaps now is not the time—"
A fire lit in Dzhavid's eyes. "Chairman, there is no proof that the fire was caused by our airstri—"
"No proof?" said Karamovo. "None but the eyes of dozens of young partisans who—"
"Gentlemen, please." Hatsek stood up and whispered something into their ears. The flush left the Chairman's face and the fire evaporated from the High Lord's eyes as they continued their presentation. "As I was saying," said Dzhavid, "Dzelo represents our strongest challenge. About five million Dzels survive on government benefits alone. In addition, the mines need to be cleared before the area can be cultivated and we can turn Izhitsa into a self-sustaining country again."
Karamovo's assistant moved on to the next slide.
"This is Shta," said Karamovo. "The first thing you'll notice is that there's quite a lot of it. However, only around 7 million people live there, mostly in self-sufficient mining communities. Part of our effort in Izhitska Ednota has been to settle people in more such communities across the area to relieve pressure on our food system. The land is mostly mountainous, but we've had a lot of success with small terrace farms and herding across the region. A few of the towns there, mainly Khorska Pevnot and Dozortse, relied mainly on tourism and food imports. However, they are well-covered by our rationing program."
Dzhavid cleared his throat as the slide changed again.
"This is Yach," he said. "Don't let your eyes deceive you. It's very much as large as it seems." There was an awkward pause as he waited for a chuckle which never came. "Anyway, while we have about 17 million citizens, we're generally able to keep them fed reasonably well. Our main concern is the refugee camps that have grown around our cities, primarily displaced people from Dzelo. Our current estimates show about 2 million people living in camps from Tilhuitnah to Assif Ushaa, with poor sanitation, low access to food, and high rate of disease. We've been trying to help them as best we can, but there just isn't enough to go around at the moment."
Ondrevich cleared his throat. "Before we continue, are there any questions on the state of Izhitsa for the Chairman or the High Lord?"
