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Post by callmedelta on Jul 24, 2022 10:32:14 GMT -5
Lehran de Angelis looked at the figures his colleagues in the Ministry of Commerce and Prosperity sent him. Franerre didn’t provide all the medicines she needed, and while most everyone wanted the production done domestically, the efforts to stimulate production over the last few years couldn’t keep up with the damned from the burgeoning Franerri population. That wasn’t even mentioning the fact that many of the more complex medicines Franerre just simply could not produce. That was how the Director of the Foriegn Affairs Administration found himself pouring over economic figures from as many nations as he could get his hands on.
Of course, it wasn’t as simple as just finding the largest exporter of medicine. Part of the problem with medicine is that it was an expensive good, and Franerre was not exactly flush with cash. The medicine had to be of quality make despite the cheap cost Franerre was looking for, and to complicate all of that Franerre couldn’t afford to import such an important item from a nation that could potentially be her enemy one day. When all of those factors combined, it mean no nation quite fit all of Franerre’s specifications. Compromised had to be made. And de Angelis found the perfect one, Pomazinki. Their medicine was cheap and of quality make. With the recent troubles brewing in Mestria that Lehran had been keeping one eye on, Kumosenkan and Pomazanniki had seemingly drawn somewhat closer given how the most recent Pomaz statement was signed with the approval of Kumosenkan, but were far from official allies. They would have to do. Politics was a game of compromise, after all.
~
“To the esteemed Maij of Foriegn Relations Semyon Kuzmin,
News of the troubles plaguing your economy have reached even as far as Franerre’s shores. One segment of your economy that has thankfully remained in good spirits has been your production of medicines, which is of keen interest of Franerre as many are too complex to produce domestically. It is my belief that nations are stronger through trade, and as such we would like to buy some of your medicinal production. In exchange, Franerre is willing to offer the sale of raw materials or silver, as those are the two largest exports of the Franerri economy, but if neither of these prove amenable other deals may potentially be possible. In addition, Franerre may be interested in reclaiming her old embassy in Pomazanniki that was abandonded during the chaos of your revolution, or should that prove impossible, purchasing a new building for the same purpose. May this letter reach you with all haste,
Director of the Franerri Foriegn Affairs Administration, Lehran de Angelis.”
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2022 12:54:18 GMT -5
Of the things that Semyon expected for the next year, Frannare reaching out was not one of them.
He had been hammered by reporters, clambering for interviews, activists asking why he would condone Kumosenkan or why he would let them edit his tabloid, asking to see the original draft. He had mostly tuned them out, but the few that wormed their way into the Sarakhov Starfort were persisent. There was the one from the Kalingra Post, Nika Vorobeva, who had faked at least two different identities and managed to get into Semyon's office on more than one occasion. They were a constant nuisance to his work.
His first instinct when he heard the familiar knock on his door was to reach underneath his desk and quickly opened a small drawer to grab a pistol he had recently procured. A Gaelic Cricket pistol, a stripper-clip fed handgun. "Who is it?" He shouted from behind his desk, his right hand firmly wrapped around the pistol's grip.
"Vasiliy, sir." A familiar voice said from the other side. "May I come in? I have something of importance to show."
"Yes, yes. Please, come in." He said, holstering the pistol back underneath his desk in it's drawer. "I'm sorry, Vasiliy, the reports have me on edge as of late."
Vasiliy, a slender man of average height smiled as he entered the room. "Fret not, I understand, sir." He responded in a relatively high-pitched tone to Semyon, moving towards his desk on the opposite end of the room.
"Please, take a seat." Semyon turned in his chair to reach into his familiar cabinet of wine, producing that and two glasses. "Tell me, what news do you bring?" He said, silently hoping the news wasn't in relation to the tabloid.
"Well, sir." He said, clearing his throat. "I assume you are familiar with Frannare, the once Lusatian colony turned nation in Touli." Semyon responded to his inquiry with an affirmative nod. "They've reached out to us as of late, hoping to import our medicines in return for Silver and raw materials. I imagine we could use the former a great deal." He handed the correspondence to Semyon, who dawned his glasses to it over.
He skimmed over it, absorbing the details. It would be a risky offer to take, given the Elenrian and Franch border, and the recent thaw between Pomaz and Kumo, but one that Semyon wanted to take regardless of the risks. "Your thoughts, Vasiliy?"
Vasiliy hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Well, sir, I believe it would be mutually beneficial for sure, but it feels as if we would be tempting fate, especially with our recent expansion on Kumo diplomacy."
Semyon took a minute to think before he grabbed a paper and pen and began writing.
To the honorable Director of Foreign Affairs, Lehran de Angelis,
We hope our response finds you in good health. We have received your correspondence and are willing to broach the concept of diplomacy and trade between us. The silver would be a much apprecaitated boon to the Pomaz economy, as it would assist in furthering our relief efforts for the Vok. We most certainly can supply the medicine you seek, as our factories work day in and day out to produce such materials.
We would like to formally invite you to visit Pomazanniki, and more specifically Sarakhov, to discuss this further. We hope to see you soon.
May Light and Sword Guide You,
Maij of Foreign Relations, Semyon Kuzmin
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Post by callmedelta on Jul 24, 2022 15:54:16 GMT -5
Lehran looked at the letter back from Pomaz on his desk. It was good news, with one little interesting caveat. The letter specified that it formally invited him. Usually Lehran sent representatives or simply had the existing embassy handle the work, as there was much to do in Franerre. Especially with the war in the Union. Lehran leaned back as he pondered the issue, the chair creaking just as much as his bones. The Director was not a young man by any means. That was plenty a reason not to go, after all, as de Angelis was never one for traveling even in his youth. That was also plenty a reason to go, as it would give the opportunity for whoever succeeded him to get experience leading. Lehran had made up his mind.
After exchanging a few more letters making sure all of the arrangements were taken care of, Lehran de Angelis and Rose-Marie Gleauren set out from Pareau, leaving behind Phillipe Mesny as the acting head of the FFAA in Pareau. After a voyage of three weeks, the pair had made it to the port of Durgangorod, and from there a day train ride to the capital of Sarakhov. After that it was a simple meeting with a liaison from Semyon at the central station and a car ride to the Sarakhov Starfort as the two had been instructed.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2022 18:29:33 GMT -5
The liner taking the two ambassadors to Durgangorod was intercepted by two patrol boats, who, knowing that the liner was Franch and carrying diplomatic elements, brought the two to a reserved area of the harbour, free from prying eyes. From there, two guards brought them to Tyrnten station, where they boarded a first-class train to Sarakhov. After departing from the train, the two guards immediately guided the two towards a distinctly Studebaker-designed car, reinforced with various amenities and security implements.
The car ride did not take a while, however, it was quite a scene. The driver didn't attempt to make small talk but instead drove with confidence and speed, at times, the riders felt as if he was breaking road laws. The car approached the starfort's ramp upwards, the gate guards checking every detail of the car before letting them enter the starfort's front drive. Letting the two ambassadors out towards it's front entrance, set of guards led them inside and directed them towards Semyon's office. Before leaving them to discuss, one of the guards knocked on his door before leaving.
The two would hear a gun's slide be put into place before hearing a low voice faintly ask; "Who is it? The Franch ambassadors, I hope?"
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Post by callmedelta on Jul 24, 2022 23:08:05 GMT -5
Lehran and Rose-Marie took the…interesting passage to the starfort in stride, though the former handled it better than the latter. "Yes, this is the Franerri ambassadors," Lehran said, nonplussed, while Rose-Marie paled at the sound of a gun being drawn. "I quite hope you didn't accept our letters and agree to this meeting only to shoot us once we spent nearly a month traveling here. That would be terribly rude of you. We did bring a gift, if that impacts your decision at all. May we come in?"
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2022 23:20:20 GMT -5
Semyon silently scolded himself for making such a rude display. "Please, yes." He said, coming over and opening the door to let the two in. "I apologize for the firearm," He said, having put it underneath his desk once more in its hidden compartment. "I've been hounded by reporters and activists recently. Please, take a seat." He motioned towards the two chairs sitting opposite of his desk as he moved behind it, opening the familiar wine cabinet and producing the same bottle he had used for many ambassadors before. "Wine?" He asked, producing a few glasses and showcasing the bottle.
"Again, I must apologize. A strange world we live in as of late. I hope your escort to the starfort was comfortable. A few measures had to be taken-" He cut himself off, realizing what he may divulge. "Regardless, thank you for coming. We haven't had many reach out to us since our revolution, and we do greatly appreciate that you've taken the initiative." He took a sip of wine as he sat down. "So, let's talk business."
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Post by callmedelta on Jul 25, 2022 12:45:27 GMT -5
“I can’t say I know the experience, but if it’s driven you to these lengths I’m glad I don’t,” de Angelis said, the two Franerri taking a seat, “Funny you ask for wine, as that’s exactly what we brought.” Rose-Marie set the bottle on the table, still a little bit pale. “It’s a fine vintage, bottled in 1875. From the King’s own stocks, only given out to high ranking government officials or foreign dignitaries like yourself. Perhaps we can use it for a celebratory toast to the first ships of medicine leaving for Franerre.”
While Lehran spoke, Rose-Marie took a drink of the wine Semyon had poured. Color returned to her face, and for the first time the woman spoke up. “But we can never get to that celebration without first getting down to business, as the Maij says.” Her voice had a higher pitch and lighter air to it than what might first be assumed looking at the 29 year old, almost as if it hadn’t quite aged along with her. Rose-Marie opened up the briefcase she brought with her, withdrawing a stack of papers and placing them on the desk. “These should be the quantities of medicine Franerre wishes to buy.” Gleauren looked at the stack of papers for a moment, before reaching back into her briefcase and withdrawing another solitary sheet of paper. “And here is a much more concise summary of the order.” The total quantity of the order indicated on the summary came out to 1,000 units of medicine.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2022 11:41:09 GMT -5
"A kind gift," Semyon took the wine bottle and placed it securely inside his cabinet, taking a moment to examine it's exact details. "We may yet, we may yet." Semyon slid the papers over to his end of the desk, looking over the exact numbers. He ran the math in his head, while not his strong suit, he knew enough. "One-hundred-thousand tons of medicine... I don't believe that should be a problem." He sat down the papers once again, reaching into a drawer on his right. Producing a manila folder, he quickly skimmed through it's contents to ensure he had picked out the correct folder, and, after confirming he did, Semyon slid it over to the Franneri. "For that order, from last I checked, that'd be around..." He stalled for a moment as he thought. "Around nine-hundred Jewels, I'd like to say? Something like that, yes."
Opening the folder, they would be greeted by a surprisingly sparse array of files. "That folder, it's mostly empty." Semyon explained. "You'll find the file regarding this trade and transcripts of our letters in there, standard diplomatic procedure." The aforementioned file was dense, having dozens of fields for the two to fill in. "Looks intimidating, I know. Mostly fluff, just for documentation purposes, we really just need to know how you'd prefer to pay. Ideally, you'd pay in Gold, since that's what we're in dire need of, but since your main export is silver, we'll happily accept that. Or, hell, if you'd like to cut the middle-man there and just pay with Jewels, we've no problem with that."
"As for our end of the trade deal, the medicine you're buying comes to about one-hundred and fifteen tons of silver." Semyon was barely confident in that number. "We'd like to round that number up to a nice one-thousand tons, paying in whatever form is most convenient for you."
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Post by callmedelta on Jul 30, 2022 0:04:11 GMT -5
Lehran looked to Rose-Marie, letting her take the lead in the conversation. Despite not expecting such a large order for silver, she took it in stride. “You mention the one-thousand tons figure, and I just want to make sure I fully understand the reasoning behind it. Is that due to how much you desire to buy, or how much you believe Franerre has for export? Because those are two very different numbers.”
“As far as the remaining 850 tons, let me think.” There were plenty of deficiencies in the Franerri economy, but as far as Rose-Marie knew, the medicinal gap was the only one Pomaz sat readily able to fill. She was struck by an errant thought in that moment, reminded of the telegram Lehran sent out to the embassy in Lusatia just before he left. It was about a purchase of airplanes. Such a thing could never fly in Pomaz, with their recent closeness to Kumosenkan. Kumosenkan…that elephant, or rather giant spider, in the room had to be addressed some time. May as well turn it into a positive.
“Kumosenkan produces rather quality silk, wouldn’t you say?” Rose-Marie asked rhetorically. Lehran gave her a hard stare upon mentioning Kumo. “Of course, that quality comes with cost attached, and given the…particular position Franerre finds herself in, we have certain misgivings about importing that silk. But I’m sure Kumosenkan would be willing to give a better price on that silk to their friends, if the spiders really can have any, and Pomazanniki and Kumosenkan seem as close as I’ve ever seen anyone get to Kumo, even if you two don’t seem to be that close. If you can purchase Kumosenkan silk for cheap, Franerre would be willing to purchase it from you at just-below or at market value.”
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2022 12:08:43 GMT -5
"The one thousand tons, that is how much we intend to buy in total," Semyon replied candidly. "Kumo's silk... We import quite a bit of it, it's certainly within reach to supply you with." As he spoke, Frannare's situation ran through Semyon's head. The war. How could he have forgotten about the Union of South Touli War?
"Tell me, Frannare is at war, yes?" Semyon asked bluntly. "I don't know how much research you've done into our culture, but we in Pomazanniki consider war to be an honourable adventure, it relates to a long history behind Verak. Now, much of our munitions and rifles sit dormant on military bases, unused and untouched. We haven't the need for the yet, with the army we boast."
"I'm not suggesting that Pomazanniki would send soldiers back on a cargo liner to Frannare, but I am suggesting that perhaps that cargo liner could be a few crates of ammomunition heavier. After all, what's the harm in having a surplus?" Semyon smiled as he waited for the two to think on the offer.
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Post by callmedelta on Jul 30, 2022 14:22:52 GMT -5
Lehran and Rose-Marie were both glad that Pomaz wouldn’t be sending soldiers. There weren’t any international fighters involved to their knowledge, and that was a dangerous Pandora’s Box to open for any nation, much less one close to Kumosenkan. Guns, though? Those would be accepted.
Rose-Marie continued speaking. “There are two important questions that come with your offer for weapons, Maij. The first is whether these guns are a gift to the Tafatu, or are a sale to Franerre. The second is logistics. The Tafatu need every gun they can get their hands on, but as soon as they run out of ammunition the weapons are nothing but dead weight. That would require continued support, meaning every cargo liner would need to have a few extra crates until the end of the war if you want to keep those weapons in service with the Tafatu. I don’t mean to insult the generosity of your offer by pointing these things out, the furthest thing from it. I want to reciprocate your kindness by ensuring you know exactly what you are getting into."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2022 20:06:34 GMT -5
As they spoke about weapons without ammunition, Semyon became slightly irritated, although doing his best to hide it. "As I said, not just weapons, but ammunition. I am no strategist, you'd need to talk to the Grand Marshal for that, but I certainly know about the chain of supply and demand. I take no offense to what you've said," He lied. "As all I care for is fostering a relationship between our nations, and if sustained trade to Touli means that the cargo liners are filled with rifles, pistols, and everything in-between, then I am certain that we're willing to oblige that."
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Post by callmedelta on Jul 30, 2022 22:02:27 GMT -5
"If you are just sending ammunition, are you even sure that your ammunition would be compatible with Franerri or Tafatu weapons?" Rose-Marie asked, "That was why I had assumed you were to be sending guns as well."
"What I believe may be the best solution," Lehran cut in, "Would be importing a small number of Pomazanniki weapons to serve as a test, of sorts. If the weapons perform reliably, then further imports may be on the table. If not, we can still foster relations via the trade of medicine and silk. Is that amenable?"
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2022 20:11:40 GMT -5
"I see, my apologies for the confusion." Semyon thought for a moment. "How does one division's worth of armaments and a season's worth of ammunition sound to you? It goes without saying that this would be on the house, as they say." Semyon gave a smile as he finished speaking.
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Post by callmedelta on Aug 7, 2022 10:09:22 GMT -5
“That sounds absolutely wonderful,” Rose-Marie beamed.
Lehran sipped from his wineglass, wearing a softer smile that more closely matched Semyon’s. “I believe this has the chance to be the beginning of beautiful partnership that is equal parts strange, unlikely, but most important of all, mutually beneficial, all in the best way possible.” Lehran lifted his wineglass for a toast. “To Pomazanniki and Franerre.”
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