Kingdom and Greater Imperium

[DrMedic]

"Where is that exactly? I'm not very familiar with places outside the Imperium."

[callmedelta]

"Pareau is the capitol of Franerre," Amélie explained, "it's the largest city in Franerre, as well as where most of the government is held. Desterque, on the other hand, is the capitol of the Estiere province, as well as being close to the small village where I was born. In addition, Desterque is the home of the King's summer palace, traditionally where most foreign treaties are signed, though he rarely spends much time there these days, with the government centered in Pareau." Lang stared out the window, though this time it was clear she was thinking of places other than Iomairt. "Pareau has plenty to offer, but it will never beat Estiere for me."

[DrMedic]

"I suppose I can understand that, in fact I feel similarly about Iomairt. A lovely city no doubt, but I do miss Òr Faich quite a bit, especially the ocean. Still, I do enjoy Iomairt, though it doesn't have the same feeling of home that I was used to. Speaking of home though, is everything alright in Franerre? You've never contacted us before and needless to say, it came as quite a shock when we received your telegram the other day." She asked, taking a glance at her watch to judge how far they were out of the palace.

[callmedelta]

Amélie let out another sigh. "Normally, diplomacy is such a game of lies and misdirections, but I feel I cannot be anything but honest to you after such kindness you have given me. Kumosenkan has seen fit to shut down the border between Franerre and Elenria, and that was where the majority of Franerre's international trade went. As such, considering our nations close proximity, my King saw fit to send me here for negotiations."

[DrMedic]

"Oh, well that's most unfortunate. Don't worry though, I'll see what we can't do for you. Are you hungry at all? When we reach the palace I'd be happy to fix something for you, at the very least I'll put a pot of water on to boil so we can enjoy a bit of tea."

[callmedelta]

"I appreciate the kindness, but I ate before the flight here," Amélie said, "Though I would not mind a nice cup of tea." Personally, Amélie was more of a coffee type of woman, but she did not want to impose, especially after such kindness shown by the Imperatrix.

[DrMedic]

"Of course, it's the least I can do for someone such as yourself." 

As she finished her thought, the car slowed to a halt.

"We're here, your majesty." He said, stepping out of the car and opening the door for her to get out. Once she was outside, Marina straightened her dress and walked to the other side, holding open the door for Amelie. 

"Come, we have much to discuss, and there's no sense talking outside in the snow without at least getting something a bit warmer on first."

[callmedelta]

"Of course," Amélie said, following Marina inside the building. Once the pair stepped foot inside the much warmer building, Amélie took off the coat the Imperatrix had lent her. "Here," the Ambassador said, holding the coat out to Marina, "Thank you for letting me use the coat, but I doubt I will have much need of it inside."

[DrMedic]

"Think nothing of it, I'm not one to have guests and leave them freezing while I stay comfortable." She replied, taking her coat back and throwing it on over her shoulders, not even caring to put her arms through the sleeves. She led the ambassador through palace and to a parlor, inviting her to a seat. The room was well decorated, much like the rest of the palace. Deep red silks and dark woods comprised the furniture, with gold trim, accents, and filigree placed tastefully about the room. A single large crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room, casting a warm light upon the surroundings, creating a rather comfortable, cozy feel. 

"Please, take a moment to make yourself comfortable while I fetch some tea." 

[callmedelta]

Lang gazed around the room while waiting, taking it all in. The deep reds of the room contrasted with the blues and greens of the limited part of the Franch Royal Palace she had been in. Lang found the reds warm, which made sense to the woman, as she supposed people in Iomairt would only want to feel warm when coming in from the cold air outside. Perhaps that was why the Imperatrix had offered her tea, as a warm drink would certainly taste much better after a day in the cold.

[DrMedic]

A few minutes later, Marina returned with a platter of tea and biscuits, setting it down on a small table and pouring both of them a cup. 

"I don't know how you like your tea, so it's plain. Feel free to help yourself to as much cream and sugar as you like," she said with a smile. "Once you've got yourself warmed back up we can talk trade."

[callmedelta]

"Why thank you," Amélie said, adding two spoonfuls of cream and one of sugar to her tea. Once the tea was properly mixed, she took a small sip. Amélie let out a contented sigh. "That's much better," she said, before setting the cup to the side. "Now, to business. I told you in the car, I was sent on this mission to attempt to create Franch trade ties with Eleria. One of the greatest barriers to trade between Franerre and Eleria is the simple lack of infrastructure between the two nations." Lang paused, opening her briefcase and taking out a map of the Franerre-Eleria border and a map op Eleria as a whole, or at least the best the. "As you can see, the border is woefully unconnected. There are only a few small roads connecting Franerre and Eleria, and no rail lines. To rectify this, Franerre would like to propose a rail line between Setange and Kincraig," Amélie emphasized her point by drawing a line with her finger between the two cities.

[DrMedic]

Marina brushed her hair aside, looking intently at the map. All that recently conquered territory was woefully underdeveloped, true, they had only held the majority for a couple years at most, and the treasury was already a bit strained in trying to develop the land. Rail lines would help, yes, but could rail lines between small continental villages and cities in other nations really help develop things? Half the issue was that continental Eleria barely had a population, something that was changing relatively quickly, given the Continental Settlement Mandate, but the question remained of whether or not it'd be worthwhile.

"Kincraig is a relatively small town, though one of the largest in continental Eleria. Even then, I believe it only has a population of roughly seven or eight thousand, and most of what we'd be able to spare there would be food, maybe minerals if the surveys turn up well. Unless you're looking for fresh meat and grain, there is little you would be able to get from a line between Kincraig and Setagne."

[callmedelta]

"That may be true," the Ambassador said, "but according to our maps, Kincraig is the closest city to the border with connections to Eleria's existing rail lines. While Kincraig itself may not hold much value, it would require the least resources to connect Franerre and Eleria at that point. In addition, if a rail line were to be built, the MCP has authorized only minor tariffs be place on Franch-Elerian trade, provided Eleria could do the same."

[DrMedic]

"Perhaps it could be done, but that still would not open much for either of us. Lest we were able to bring goods across the channel and onto the island, you would have very limited reach. You must understand, continental Eleria was only conquered some three years ago. We've been giving out land like rifles to get people onto the continent and off this island, but it's not as simple as flipping a switch and suddenly everything is all better, it will take quite a bit of time for our citizens to get roots down. That said, what I would suggest for opening up trade is an airlift. While we would have to use primarily military transport aircraft, we have plenty to spare that we could use to ship supplies to and from Eleria, not to mention giving our pilots more flight-hours to help them develop their skills. On top of that, it would be easier to get supplies to remote locations, as all our planes should need to land and take off again is a suitable piece of flat land, we won't even need to build new infrastructure for it. Of course, this isn't a perfect solution, and it's more expensive than rail, but it's a start."