Rada meeting: on the question of Franerre [Ashinara-Franerre

[aimway921]

About 30 minutes after Jean-Paul would've left with Sonya Petliura, another knock resounded on Luca's hotel room door. Once he would open the door, there he would see a familiar face, although it might have taken him a little bit to remember where he has seen this man before.

Slightly on the larger side, the cheerful fox was wearing a strikingly familiar traditional Ashinaran shirt under a business suit jacket. Some of the fur on his face was grown longer than the rest and styled into a moustache. Eventually Luca would remember him - Afanasim Tatarchuk, the cheerful Ashinaran he had met at the food fair in Roskana.

"Luca, my good friend!" He exclaimed with a wide smile, hand already going in for a handshake. "I never thought fate would have us see each other again! I see you took up my offer to come see our land for yourself after all!"

[callmedelta]

"Afanasim!" Luca said after taking a few moments to recognize the face and voice. Luca was wearing a suit in the same style as the one he did yesterday, but this one was a navy blue as opposed to black. He took Afanasim's offered hand and gave it a strong shake. "I will say, taking you up on that offer may very well have been the best decision of my life, depending on how this meeting in the Rada plays out. I assume you're the one meant to escort me there?"

[aimway921]

"Oh yes indeed," Afanasim replied. "As you may have guessed by now I work under the Foreign Minister. But enough about me, tell me about yourself! How are you finding our little corner of the world so far?"

While they were chatting, the pair would make it down where, possibly to Luca's surprise, they were awaited by a horse-drawn carriage. Not having to bother with expenses such as an engine or transmission, the carriage was much more exquisite compared to the car they rode in earlier when just arriving. Fine wood lined with shiny bronze metal, the inside upholstery felt uncharacteristically cool. Closer inspection, both visual and by touch, would reveal that the seats were lined with fine silk, which didn't heat up as much in the Ashinaran tropical climate compared to wool or leather.

[callmedelta]

Luca was surprised to see a horse-drawn carriage. He hadn't seen any the last two days he had been here, but then again Luca also wasn't looking too hard. "Well," Luca said, sitting down on the fine silk, "I've been quite surprised by your little corner of the world thus far. It's a good surprised, don't worry." Luca chuckled. "I would elaborate, but I'm not quite sure how much I'm at liberty to say, so I'll stay on the safe side. But seeing as how you're taking me to a Rada session specifically concerning Franerre, well, I think that speaks plenty for itself."

[aimway921]

"Oh, I haven't seen Pan Tagomych so fired up in a while. Well, in any case, I do hope it works out."

It took them about 40 minutes to reach the Royal Palace. A large building, which seemed to have a mix of older and newer architecture, indicating that it was either built over a long period of time, or perhaps that some sections were added or retrofitted later on. Walking in through the main entrance, they found themselves in a large hall, the ceiling of which was 3 floors high - easily indicated by walkways of the second and third floors being visible on the sides. A great staircase led from the center straight to the third floor, while two smaller staircases on either side led to the second. Afanasim took Luca up the left-hand staircase. Several halls later, they arrived in a large, very dimly lit, circular room. The ceiling seemed to be made of draping fabrics. Coming further into the room, a low circular wall took up most of the center, and a glance over it revealed another room beneath, that one much better lit. There was what could only be identified as a throne at the center of one of the sides, and another throne-like seat, though smaller, at it's side and a little bit closer to the center of the room. It alsmost looked like they were supposed to be level with each other, but either the big throne was moved back or the small one was moved forward. Next there were 10 seats on the right side of the throne - all facing the center of the room. Finally, on the side directly opposite of the throne, there were 30, slightly less ornate seats. Of all the 40 seats, all had folding tables in front of them. For now the room lied empty.

"Well, here we are," Afanasim said. "We'll be the only two people here." As he said that, he closed the door behind them and locked it with a key that he then put in an interior pocket of his suit. "The meeting is scheduled to begin in 30 minutes. Governors and Ministers should start arriving soon - and since Hetman waits for no one, and everyone waits for Hetman, it is customary that he shall arrive last. Although he shall be arriving with his daughter, the Crown Princess."

[callmedelta]

As the pair strode through the palace, Luca took note of the craftsmanship and architecture. He liked the large, open design of the building. Valentino found the cloth odd, but then he realized that it was likely to dampen the echoes that would come from conversation in such a large room. The words from Afanasim, however, much more interesting to ponder. Luca had assumed that the Hetman would be a younger man, much like Franerre's own King Dante, given the ostensibly sudden decision to reverse their isolation. But if the Hetman had a daughter that would be old enough to sit in on a government meeting like this, he was likely older than what Luca had assumed. The fact that the princess was a *Crown* Princess was another important factor. If the Hetman was older like he'd assumed, there was a good chance that the Crown Princess would be succeeding him within his lifetime. That made the fact that Luca would be the first Franerri she'd ever seen even more important. It made the briefcase in his arms feel heavy, despite it's lack of weight. Luca had prepared two speeches for the Rada, one trimmed down to the key facts and the other going into much more detail than the former. He'd spend as much of the night as he felt he could spare working on it, but would it be enough?

Luca chuckled a little, despite the enormity of the situation rapidly becoming apparent. "I feel a little bit outclassed, Afanasim. I take it you'll be acting as my translator, should I need to speak? I've picked up a few words already, but I don't know if I could string a full sentence together if my life depended on it."

[aimway921]

"I will," Afanasim replied, "Although I doubt you shall need to. Remember, you're here as an observer only. Although... You know, the Princess has been known to go against tradition here and there. So maybe she will have something to ask you directly. Don't worry, there's a staircase right there" - he pointed towards a door opposite of the one they came in through - "that leads straight down into the meeting chamber beneath us." Suddenly, a sound of doors opening broke the silence previously only slightly shaken by their conversation. "Oh, here they come!" Afanasim said. He then proceeded to describe everyone who walked in to Luca.

One by one, 40 people assembled in the meeting chamber. Luca would probably be surprised by a few names that sounded vaguely Franerri - 8 of them. What's more surprising, 5 of those Governors with Franerri-sounding names looked... human? No, not exactly - they still had fox ears and tails like everyone else - but they had human skin instead of fur, and human hair - almost as if they were a crossbreed between Ashinarans and humans. These "half-foxes" had a slightly dark skin complexion and mostly black hair. Afanasim, seeing the confusion of Luca's face, explained - the South-Western part of the main island, approximately 500 years ago, before the isolation of Ashinara, had a great deal of Elenrian and even more Franerri influence, as a lot of trade flowed through those ports. Several hundred years of that, human genes mixed with Ashinaran - and along with them, so did the culture. As a result, while you won't find any recognizable Franerri culture nowdays in Ashinara, in the South-West you will find a great deal of names that clearly have had Franerri influence.

About 10 minutes have passed since the last person walked in. The doors opened once more, and in came... A wheel chair. At the sight of which everyone in the room immediately stood up. The wheel-chair, that was pushed by someone who seemed to be a servant, was occupied by an extremely old looking fox. All of his fur has long since turned gray, and a long beard going half-way down to his lap was a testament to the man's age. Thick glasses enlarged the eyes - one of which was bright blue, and the other - covered by a foggy film, a clear sign of blindness in the eye. His legs were covered by a rather ornate wool blanket, while his jacket - which looked like one of the fanciest military uniform jackets one could find - was adorned by golden buttons, silver linings and various medals. The grand jewel, however, was on his head - literally - a kite-shaped red gem adorned the golden crown. This was Hetman of Ashinara, Afanasim explained, adding that the ruler was 95 years old - an impressive age for an Ashinaran, who's lifespans are generally slightly shorter than humans. The Hetman's wheelchair was positioned right in front of the larger throne. So that's why it looked like it was moved back from where it should have been - to make way for the wheelchair.

Following him came the Princess. She was probably the direct opposite of everyone previously gathered in this room. While not the only woman present, she was the youngest - 19, if Afanasim were to be believed. Wearing a beautiful dress that was a mix of white, red, gold and purple, her blue eyes were so bright they almost gave off sparks. A golden ornament could be seen woven into her long silky hair that fell down to her waist, which seemed to be just a shade lighter than the rest of her fur. She sat down at the smaller throne at her father's side.

[callmedelta]

Luca was stunned by the revelations. Franerri, in Ashinara? I made sense why he hadn't heard of them before, as large swathes of records from before Lusatia's colonization had been destroyed. When combined with Ashinara's isolation and one hundred and fifty years of colonization it would make sense why they would be forgotten. Surely, they would vouch for Franerre's position, even if they were five hundred years removed from their motherland. At this point, the islands may as well be known as the land of good news. Luca wasn't the most religious man, but that may have to change after this mission. His expectations were tempered somewhat when Luca saw the Hetman. No wonder the Crown Princess was here, the Hetman could die at any minute. If he died at an inopportune moment, it could spell disaster, but there was nothing Luca could do now but sit and watch. Still, it was hard to believe that girl, just barely a woman, would hold the fate of a nation in her hands any day now.

[aimway921]

As the Hetman and the Princess took their places, everyone else sat down as well. A couple servants brought an ornate wooden table and placed it between the Princess and the Hetman, and a pile of papers was placed on it. After a quick glance on them, the Princess proclaimed - in Ashinaran - and Afanasim was translating everything to Luca - "The Rada meeting on opening trade relations, civil and military cooperation with the Kingdom of Franerri, is declared open." She had a clear, gentle and bright voice, almost sounding even younger than what she looked like. "Minister te Tagomych, please present the case to the council."

Tagomych stood up, shuffling some notes on his table.

"Your Highnesses, and honorable councilmen. We have been reached out to by the Kingdom of Franerri, a fellow Touli nation. One of the few advanced independent nations, just like we are, they find themselves in a very similar position to us, probably even worse. While we have the protection of the seas, they are surrounded on two sides by colonies of powerful Empires that seek to subjugate Touli. It is for those reasons that they have reached out to us, to seek for strength in numbers, and to work against an independent Touli."

As he finished, the room became filled with hum of many quiet voices flowing about, as most of the councilmembers started quietly discussing what was just said. After about a minute of that, Luca would notice the Hetman whispering something to the Princes, after which she lifted her hand up in the air, signaling everyone for silence.

"What are the terms proposed by the Franerri delegation?" the Princess asked.

"They offer opening trade with decreased tariffs between us, to take advantage of their higher raw resource output and our higher industrial output. Combined with our deal with the Kingdom of Gaelia, this will be the boost needed to speed up the wheel of progress for both our nations. Furthermore, they offer an alliance - civilian, cultural and military. That includes an ease of restrictions on travelling between our two nations, cultural exchange for the general citizenry to become more aware of each other, and military cooperation to strengthen our position in Touli."

Another bout of discussion followed, during which Viktor te Yuschenko, the Minister of Finance, stood up. "I can see the benefits of trade. But I see no point in going further."

Minister of Defense, Zynoviy te Khmelnytski stood up next. "I partially agree. Trade would certainly be good for us, but we should also agree to the cultural exchanges. While I'm inclined to also agree with the reasoning for military cooperation, that same reasoning is also why I can't agree. As long as we don't signal off that we are fighting back, we are not perceived as a threat."

Suddenly, one of the governors stood up. It was one of the half-Ashinaran-half-humans - Count de la Feyrr, governor of Garkon'. "You do realize that not being a threat only makes us a target?!" Unlike the previous people who spoke, his voice was louder, and conveyed more aggression. "We have this chance to re-forge the kinship our peoples had for generations several centuries ago, and on top of that to make a stand against those willing to subjugate the people of our beautiful corner of the world. Sure, such a brazen action would be dangerous, but inaction could arguably be even worse!"

A dozen more people stood up, their voices shouting over each other, making it hard to tell what was being said. The meeting seems to have disintegrated into a chaotic shouting match of opinions. For almost a minute the Princess and the Hetman were patiently watching, but then the Hetman started whispering something to the Princess, after which she stood up calmly walked over behind the thrones, and pulled a tapestry that was covering a golden gong. Picking up the hammer at it's base, she struck it with just enough force for silence to ring in it's wake.

[callmedelta]

Luca watched the proceedings with rapt attention. He didn't exactly have anything else to do, after all. He cringed a bit at the 'Kingdom of Franerri,' but he supposed that could be down to a mistranslation and a 500 year isolation. The Franerri man also wished Tagomych would have gone into some more detail in exactly what the offer entailed, but he couldn't exactly do anything about that now. While the reactions of the rest of the ministers wasn't unexpected, Luca was still saddened by the reactions. He knew the reactions of the Foreign Minister was the best possible scenario, and the pipedream had to end sometime, but it still a bit disheartening to see. But it was when the Count stood up that Luca's mood turned. His assumptions had been correct, the half-Ashinarans would be the best faction to court, along with the Crown Princess. He would need to meet with the man privately after the proceedings here, but that would have to wait.

[aimway921]

Everyone quieted down at the sound of the gong. For a few seconds, not a single sound could be heard in the room.

"It is agreed then that we shall enter trade agreements with the Franerri," the Princess proclaimed with a commanding voice. "The specifics shall be discussed later with the Franerri representatives, and relevant Ministers. Cultural exchange between our nations would heed the history we share." The Princess then looked slightly up. Barely noticeable by most, but just enough to have her firm gaze pierce right through Luca. "I believe, however," she began. The Hetman behind her suddenly, as suddenly a man of his age could, widened his eyes and leaned his head up to take a look at his daughter. Clearly, she was doing something she wasn't supposed to. "That we should give the final attempt to the Franerri himself. Come down and tell us, why should we agree to all the terms you're proposing?"

"Well, that's our que," Afanasim told Luca, as he hurried towards the secondary door. "Come on, let's not keep the young lady waiting." As they hurried down the stairs, Luca would soon find himself standing facing the Princess to his left, the Governors to his right and the Ministers to his front. Afanasim stood by him, ready to translate anything he was about to say.

[callmedelta]

Luca hurried opening his briefcase, before being struck by choice paralysis. Bring the short speech, or the long one? The latter was obviously more detailed, but it mostly carried hard statistics, and Luca wasn't really in the place to elaborate on them should they be required. No, it was best to take them both just in case. Valentino took the shorter speech out of the briefcase, closing it with the longer one inside and bringing it with him. It was the moment of truth now, Luca quickly taking a handkerchief to his sweat-slick forehead before exiting the staircase. Upon entering the throne room, he took a bow on one knee before the Hetman and the Crown Princess. It was the proper way to show respect to the Franerri Royal Family, and now that he thought about it a little more it might be improper to address a foreign monarch this way, but it was better to be overly respectful that not be respectful enough. After a few seconds of bowing, Luca stood, his heart pounding. He shot a glance to Afanasim at his side and nodded once, taking a deep breath before beginning.

"Hetman, Crown Princess, and assembled Ministers and Governors," Luca said, sweeping his gaze to each party in turn. He spoke louder than the rest of the ministers had, but not quite as loud as the Governor of Garkon. "What your Foreign Minister says is true. I stand before you ready to argue the case for a bilateral agreement for cooperation on trade, culture, and military matters. I will start first on trade: trade makes nations richer, but for so long the only trade partners available to Franerre have been colonizers and other nations seeking to exploit Franerre from the main continent and make her dependent on them, the unstable Union of South Touli to our south, and a few tribes in the east of Touli who are too unconnected and unindustrialized for large amounts of trade. The only way for Franerre to advance has been to risk herself to potential exploration, and the government oversight necessary to prevent this has meant Franerre has industrialized slower than it could have. Stepping onto the world stage in the future, I see no reason why Ashinara will not face this same dilemma. But with our two nations working in concert, we can freely trade between each other without the need for the worry or caution that comes from dealing with other potential trade partners. I wish I could offer specific goods to be traded in this speech, but I am a diplomat, not an economist. Should you be willing, I would like to extend the invitation for a representative of the Minister of Finance to come to Pareau to meet with a delegation from the Ministry of Commerce and Prosperity to work out what goods should be traded between Franerre and Ashinara, or, should you prefer, I would ask that a delegation from Franerre come here to Kyograd to discuss the matter."

Luca took a deep breath. His heart had began to slow a bit, but now his throat was getting parched. He had a portion on Ashinaran culture written out, but in the knowledge that there were Franerri living here in Ashinara, Luca know that would be the better talking point, even if he had to wing it. Luca swallowed, continuing. "On the matter of culture, I feel that the mere existence of Count de la Feyrr is a testament to how valuable such cultural exchanges would be. Ashinara has been isolated for five hundred years. Three hundred years ago, Franerre was colonized by Lusatia, and much of our history was lost. Even though Lusatia's occupation ended one hundred and fifty years ago, we have recovered little from before during that time. We know that Franerre had trade networks across Touli, but the fact that such a large Franerri community lived in Ashinara is a thought that never crossed my wildest dreams. For the chance to reconnect with Franerre's past..." Luca had to swallow again, and he became acutely aware of another bead of sweat forming on his forehead, "...if you approve nothing else, please approve some form of cultural exchange between Franerre and the Franerri descendants here in Ashinara."

"Finally, to the matter of the military. All it will take it one look at a map to see my nation's position is not a favorable one. Kumosenkan and Galra to her west and east, large coastlines ripe to be bombarded by navies Franerre cannot hope to contest. But to appear nonthreatening, as Minister Khm..." Luca wasn't sure he could pronounce the Defense Minister's name. Best just to move past it quick. "...as your Defense Minister suggests would be...unwise." Luca had to temper his language, lest he insult the man. "Was Franerre a threat to the people of Lusatia when their ships landed on our shores? Was Elenria, who just finished fighting a civil war, a threat to Kumosenkan when they claimed dominion over the nation? Were the various native tribes of what is now New Galra a threat to arguably the most powerful nation on Ourhi, half a world away? How could the Zedonians be a threat to the mighty Kingdom of Ulster-Gaelia? There has never been a point in history when a nation on Touli was a threat to a nation on the mainland, and yet colonization happened all the same." Luca took another deep breath, home stretch now. The bead of sweat fell down his left temple. "I will not lie to the Rada before me: the Kingdom of Franerre is not a military superpower. Her guns are not the envy of the world. Her artillery batteries do not make their foes cower. Her soldiers do not strike fear into the hearts of her enemies, and her generals are not geniuses known the world over. But those facts are exactly why Franerre and Ashinara must cooperate. I know you have sent officers to study in Gaelia, and we have sent some to study in Lusatia. Franerre has also developed her own derivatives of many foreign weapons, which I'm sure we would be willing to export to you should they prove superior to what your army currently wields. Pareau knows that they could not hold off a committed foreign invasion, and while I pray Kyograd could, I fear the alternative is the most likely outcome. The nations of Touli must stand together to fight back the tide of colonialism, or we will all fall apart, and that can start here, in this room, with Franerre and Ashinara. Thank you." Luca let out what breath he had been holding, feeling a tension he didn't even know he was carrying leave his body. He didn't know what more he could do, now. 

[aimway921]

The room erupted in discussion again after Luca finished. Several of the Governors seemed to have formed a group and discussing something exclusively between each other - de la Feyrr amongst them, along with a few other half-humans. The Defense Minister could be seen talking to the Foreign Affairs Minister, while Internal Affairs Minister appeared to have be in a heated argument with the Minister of Finance. Several minutes have passed, until Count de la Feyrr was the first one to stand up to speak in front of everyone.

"Speaking on behalf of my fellow Governors of the South-Western provinces, Count de Natchenko, Baron te Potapchynsky, Count te Bohomyl, Duke de Monellie, Count te Orlyk, Count te Chernyanenko, and Baron te Maryllo are in agreement - Garkon' is not the only one that would benefit greatly from reconnecting with our ancient ancestors. We advice strongly for cultural re-unification. Next, while it is not in our areas of expertise, we do believe that Pan Valentino is right on the questions of trade and defense."

"And what open the gates to more immigrants? We're full as it is!" someone suddenly said. It was a rather short man sitting almost all the way in the back - Lord te Virun'ko-Eyriesky"

"You're just saying that because I agree with de la Feyrr, aren't you?" the man, who, coincidentally, looked almost as if he was the previous one's twin - Lord te Virun'ko-Eriesky. "You always have to disagree with me on anything, don't you?"

"Now listen here you-" the first one almost stood up before being heckled down by a woman sitting next to both of them - Baroness te Tretyak - "Oh calm down the two of you. I can't believe we still allow you on these meetings when you start arguing about the squabbles you have on your island every single time, derailing all the meetings."

A chuckle could be heard from the Governors, though it couldn't be identified who it originated from, followed by an awkward silence that, while lasting only about a dozen seconds, felt like a whole hour.

"I believe the Count is right," Minister of Interior Affairs said, as he stood up, breaking the silence. "Trade would strengthen both our nations, and in turn, will strengthen Touli. I advice to open trade, and any cultural exchange that shall come with it. Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, Culture and Infrastructure are in agreement with me on this."

"Well then the last question is of military cooperation," Minister of Defense said. "I still am wary that us joining forces would cause increased tension with the powers we seek to stand against with such a union. It is a well known fact that the first sign of an uprising is the common rabble organizing. I'm sorry for the language, but I firmly believe that that is exactly how the greater powers see us - as rabble standing in their way of world domination - and our beginnings of organizing might bring an armed conflict closer to us in time than it would happen otherwise. With that in mind, I advice that any military cooperation decision we come to today is not advertised to the public, and kept out of all media sources."

While all that was being said, the Princess returned to the Hetman, and listened to what he had to tell her. Almost two minutes after Minister of Defense finished speaking, she stood up again.

"The Hetman has heard your advice, and made his decision," she began. "Trade shall flow between Ashinara and Franerre. Cultural exchange shall begin, with special focus in the South-West. For better co-operation, Ashinarans should learn the Franerri language, and the Franerri should learn the Ashinaran language. A possible military alliance shall be discussed further by the Ministry of Defense, until a final decision is made on military cooperation. Rada meeting concluded." At her last words, a servant rang the gong. Another servant came to the Emperor and began wheeling him away. As that was going on, the Princess, motioning Afanasim and Luca to follow her, approached the Ministers. "te Tagomych, te Khmelnytski, please stay, there are things we would need to discuss with this Franerri in private."

Over the next several minutes, the nobles shuffled out of the room one by one, with only 5 people remaining in the room - the Princess, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Afanasim, and Luca.

[callmedelta]

The ambassador was on cloud nine - no, he was on cloud ten, or eleven, or whatever the highest cloud out there was. Luca had been sent with a few expensive bottles of Franerri wine from the King's own storage, to serve as gifts as reasons why Ashinara should trade with Franerre, but one or two of them would *definitely* be going missing tonight. He couldn't get too caught up in daydreaming thought. Luca was still in the room with three of the most powerful people in Ashinara. He beamed at the four people in front of him, a wide, honest smile plastered from ear to ear. "I would say this meeting went rather spectacularly, wouldn't you Afanasim?" Luca asked. He was honestly a bit at a loss for what to do at this point. He wanted to jump for joy and just do anything to burn off that bundle of joyous energy inside him, but that would be hardly proper. The ambassador also wasn't quite sure what the two ministers and the Crown Princess wanted with him, so he thought it best to just wait for them to bring it up, even if it meant waiting.

[aimway921]

"Pan Valentino," the Princess, who miraculously sneaked away back to take a seat on her throne, said - and in Commons, although with a thick accent - "I'll be honest when I say I wasn't really listening to Tatarchuk's translation of your speech - what I was listening to instead was your voice. And while I didn't understand every word, as my Commons is not perfect, I heard your emotion, your passion. I believe your devotion to the cause you presented today."

The Princess made a small pause, collecting the words for what to say next. "For that reason, I believe the proposed military cooperation is indeed necessary. However I also recognize Pan Khmelnytski's concern. By letting the world know of our alliance, what threat exists from Kumosenkan and Galra will only rapidly increase, instead of continuing to approach at the slow pace it is right now. This is why I asked for all of you to wait for everyone else to leave before discussing this. What say you, Pan Valentino? Can your government and your King keep a secret of this magnitude?"