Just a Heads Up (Kumosenkan - Lusiatia)

[Sophie]

Aya Nakanishi was the long standing charge in command of the Kumosenkan Embassy in Lusatia. She sat back with her fore legs kicked up on her desk. A laugh escaped her lips as she flipped through the newly telegrammed newspaper. "Ohhohoh! Come on." She sighed and wiped the mirth off her face. With a long and relieving sigh she shook her head. "This is what happens when you let men run countries."

"Nakanishi-Kama? The Lusatian diplomats are here for you." The assistant informed her superior.

"Oh fantastic." She set the newspaper down on her desk and stood. "Send them in."

[alxeu]

A pair of diplomats from the Foreign Ministry's "Nardras Office" entered the office, the leader of the two seeming annoyed, the younger man seeming a little jittery, relaxing a bit when the door closed behind them.

The front man, unremarkable save for an unflattering mustache, spoke up, "Good day, Ambassador Nakanishi. We were informed that you wished to speak to representatives of the government?"

Jitters spoke next, alternating between respectful eye contact and a desire to look anywhere but the Kumo ambassador, "I-If this is about your government's minefields announcement, the Commerce Ministry has passed the word on to all Lusatian shipping companies. You needn't worry about our merchants ru-running into them unawares."

Mustache continued, raising his hand to get Jitters to stop talking, "For the record, while Lusatia recognizes it is within your nation's right to do as it pleases within its territorial waters, the Foreign Minister would like us to express concern as to the purpose behind these actions, as though these minefields are purely defensive, they nonetheless strike a bellicose tone."

[Sophie]

"I appreciate the concern," Nakanishi spoke after offering a quick bow. "However, minefields have always been part of Kumosenkan's defense structure since we invented them in seventeen ninety. I know this is a rather massive expansion of previously existing minefields. I assure you they will not interfere with commerce and are not meant to signal any hostile intent. The defense of our waters is paramount to the integrity of our Empire."

Nakanishi smiled just a bit at 'Jitters' anxiety, her eyes piercing forward at him. "Though this meeting is not about the mines, if you have any concerns about being inadvertently struck, you may at any time call into the Royal Battle Fleet for an escort through our waters."

"No this is about Franerre." Nakanishi handed her telegraphed copy of the Héraut Franerri over to the diplomats. "Have you read this?"

[alxeu]

Mustache spoke, "Normally, Franerri relations are handled by the Touli Office, or the Foreign Minister directly, but let me see here..."

He read over the paper, leaving Jitters to continue his effort to maintain composure. When his coworker finished reading the telegraphed paper, he shoved it towards Jitters who began reading himself.

Not waiting for the other to finish reading, however, Mustache spoke up, now sounding frustrated and seeming, ever so slightly, overwhelmed, "The specifics of the naval lease are outside our normal purview, but the context as a whole is a matter that pushes this discussion to the Foreign Minister, not some junior diplomats. If this was so important, why not just reach out to the top?"

[Sophie]

"Well, none of this information has any level of classification," Nakanishi spoke with frankness. "Nor is it any sort of negotiation. Just a free offer of information as I fear whoever made this bases deal is lacking some rather critical details I hope you can pass along for me." She quickly pulled out a map of Elenria and circled the area Kumosenkan classified as 'The Notch.' "As your people may or may not be aware. Franerre imposed an illegal seizure of this land to an illegitimate government of Elenria that had no means to protect itself. Once Kumosenkan arrived and propped up Elenria with a new stable government, we had hoped that Franerre would come to their senses and return the obviously Elenrian land, but they haven't. We have done enough waiting. We officially submitted our demand to return the land to its rightful owner to the king not too long ago, and now he is trying to shlep these bases off onto you. Bases that by rights are not theirs. Unfortunately, it seems they are doing so in an attempt to stir our two nations against each other. Something our Empress absolutely does not want as she respects and appreciates the friendship our two Empires share."

[alxeu]

Mustache straightened himself out, and braced himself for what he knew he had to say next, "While Lusatia bears no ill-will towards Kumosenkan, and while our partners in Franerre have recently been less than honest with their domestic situation, there remains a few details in contention that necessitate clarification."

"First," he began, trying to carefully frame his upcoming words, "If I'm not mistaken, Elenrian claims to the territory long, long predate the lives of any one of us here or any Kumo in your homeland. I understand that only the elders of the Inselni of Elenria can remember such a time, and I do not doubt there are those among them who had lived in that land in the days it was Elenrian. However, to repatriate that land on the basis of the claims of the former inhabitants is to similarly depatriate the Franerri who live in that region. Men and women who, for generations, have lived in that region. Those alive may not remember times before 1880, but what of the lives of their parents, grandparents, and ancestors? A history stretching back over 15 generations is every bit as strong a claim to the region, unless you suggest that we should begin respecting all dispossessed wanderers of forgotten realms?"

"Second," he continued, fearing he stood at the same crossroads in history Ulster-Gaelia did twenty years ago, "Regardless of Franerre's diplomatic treachery, which the Lusatian government shall resolve with them in due time, the situation as it has evolved now necessitates Lusatia act. Before Franerre was independent, it was a protectorate - a dominion - of Lusatia. The people living there, and, in particular, the people living in Elenerre, are descendants of Lusatian settlers in the region and, in many cases, distant relations of people here in Lusatia. The government owes a duty, even if it is only a duty born of sentiment, to these people."


Mustache stopped for a moment, indicating to Ambassador Nakanishi that he wished to speak to his colleague, before turning to Jitters and saying to him, "Go, let the Foreign Minister know of what's been discussed so far and get him to get someone to drag the Franerri Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry to explain himself. Lusatia isn't about to start-"

He paused, then at last said, in Lusatian, "Just make sure someone lets Franerre know that this game they're playing isn't going to end the way they like."

Once Jitters left, Mustache asked, "If it is not outside my purview to ask, did Kumosenkan assent to the Koian arbitration mentioned in the paper?"

[Sophie]

"I, of course, understand your point of view." Nakanishi conceded. "The changing of the territory was long ago for us, but this isn't about us. This is about the Elenrians whose livelihoods were uprooted completely. I'm not talking about the daughters of daughters of daughters of daughters. We're talking about still-living Elenrians who have the rights to property in the Notch. People who owned homes, stores, mines, farms, and resource rights. All of them were stolen without a word by a land-hungry tyrant long before the stabilizing Lusatians arrived. There are still families who have been separated by the aggressive border Franerre maintains."

"We understand, of course, that there are now many Franerri that have occupied this land, but this is not the fault of the Elenrians to whom the land belongs. We offered to allow Franerre to move all the colonizers within out freely before returning the territory to its rightful owner. They have not answered this offer." She continued, shaking her head softly.

"For Koian arbitration, we were sadly forced to decline. Our initial instinct was to say yes until our army reconnaissance corp reported a massive troop build-up just on the other side of the river. We have been forced to read the arbitration plea as nothing more than a delaying tactic and not a genuine offer to settle this issue diplomatically. Plus, you must admit, Koi is not the correct choice to handle any arbitration like this. While they are indeed neutral, they are exceptionally poorly informed on Toulian issues. Not only that, they have good reason to not only be biased on the side of Kumosenkan but on the side of war. We purchase quite an amount of staol, and a war would only serve to increase that amount. We perhaps could have considered arbitration if a better source was chosen, even despite the build-up. However, all the actions we have seen have not pointed to Franerre being willing to settle this properly."

"I truly wish to clarify that we in no manner believe that this is the fault of Lusatia despite Franerre being a former dominion of yours. When they were under your direct control, eastern Touli was never more stable. Unfortunately, without your wise guidance, it seems they can do not but devolve."

"Kumosenkan understands that you must do what you see fit in regard to your former dominion, and irrespective of any action you may take in the future, I want to clarify. Kumosenkan sees Lusatia as a friend and always will. We will take any action necessary to maintain that friendship. As I said when you first arrived here. Kumosenkan has no demands or expectations of you. We simply saw the news out of Franerre and believed it in your best interest to be more informed of the matter at hand. I hope you understand Kumosenkan must do what's just for its Elenrian prefecture and her people. "

[alxeu]

Mustache sighed, "Surely you appreciate that it takes a long, long time to move the kind of populations you'd be asking Franerre to resettle. There is absolutely no safe way to relocate an entire province's worth of people. Any handover will strand Franerri citizens on the wrong side of the border. Given the hostility between Elenrians and Franerri, could Kumosenkan even hope to promise no reprisals?"

"As for rejecting Koian arbitration? It makes sense from a diplomatic standpoint," Mustache said, dancing around the subject of Kumosenkan perhaps wanting a war. "While I'm not sure if I agree that they would be biased in Kumosenkan's favor, I do agree that they are not at all proper mediators for a Toulian conflict. Someone with a historic knowledge of the region and its people would've been far superior."

"Finally, I regret to inform Kumosenkan that Lusatia is unlikely to sit idly by. We must act to defend our interests, the Sejm would demand nothing less. I expect the Foreign Minister will attempt to schedule a meeting with you tomorrow, perhaps even later today depending on imminent discussions with the Franneri Ambassador. He has much to answer for, and that meeting will determine where Lusatia goes from here. In the meantime, if your nation truly seeks friendship with Lusatia, and things do turn to unfortunate bloodshed, I ask only that Lusatians and Luso-Franerri civilians be left untouched. Public sentiment will far outpace what the government desires if civilians start being harmed."

[Sophie]

"Which is why our offer included a ten-year waiver in which anyone living in that area could petition to repatriate themselves to the actual borders of Franerre with no incursion and on our dime." She spoke addressing the subject of Franerri resettlement. "That way, the territory could be returned immediately, and any Franerri could return home without having to uproot their lives on no notice. Of course, this can only apply if they return the territory peacefully."

"It is unfortunate that actions will likely be taken by both our nations that will not necessarily be in each other's favor. What we can promise you is that any Lusatians or Luso-Franerri that present themselves unarmed as such to Kumo authorities will be treated with as much care as citizens of Kumosenkan. They will be given a free ride to anywhere they wish to go. Harming civilians will always be outside of our goals. I look forward to speaking with your Foreign Minister."