A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Ananto Estate, Eveari, April 30, 5634

The Empress arrived to the office and found the Chancellor of the Empire and Her Foreign Minister already there.  The two ministers stood as the Empress arrived and lowered their view as she entered and walked to the comfortable lounge chair next to the cold fireplace in her study.  The Empress had just finished a weekend of planting trees in the Green Mountains, and was still wearing her dirty coveralls and muddy shoes which she didn't take off before she tracked mud all over the hardwood floors.  She kicked the small rug out from in front of the chair so she didn't grind mud into it too, and then  sat down unceremoniously in the chair.  The Chancellor caught the motion just in his peripheral vision, but did not move until he was bade to do so.

"Sit sit, you two," the Empress said.  The Chancellor and the Foreign Minister instantly complied to the brusque, but not rude imperatives of the Empress.  "Now, tell us what the problem is."

"May it please Her Imperial Majesty," began the Foreign Minister, "I'm not quite sure how to put this, but, this Kundrati thing..."

"...Legion thing," the Empress corrected her.

"Er, yes, this Legion thing," the Foreign Minister, Lady Waltrip stammered,  "I am not sure what Her Imperial Majesty is asking of me..."

The Empress sat back in the chair.  "It's quite simply Madame Waltrip.  We need to you to travel to Lucid, talk to a man there, and he will give you the name and description of another person who is waiting for you in Athosia.  You give him the letter the IBSI agent in Lucid gave you, and then you return.  Very simple."

"And Her Imperial Majesty believes he's from the Legion?"  

"We are not certain who he represents," said the Empress.  "He wasn't exactly carrying any papers with him."

"And why does IBSI think he might represent the Legion?" asked Lady Waltrip.

"You'd have to ask them that," the Empress said.  "He could be Legion, he could be a hot dog vendor, we'll find out though soon enough."

"May I ask Her Imperial Majesty how we will know who this individual represents?"

"You are full of questions, Good Lady Waltrip," the Empress answered with a smile.  "Look...  who cares.  Your job is to hand him the letter, that's all.  It's probably a lot better that you don't know too much yourself."

"But surely Her Imperial Majesty is aware," said the Foreign Minister,  "that I'm going to have to answer for this.  People will start asking questions.  What am I supposed to say?  I went into Athosia, handed a letter to some random person, and now we're at war or something?  What is in this letter?" she finally thought to ask.

"Lady Waltrip.  Just hand him the letter.  We shall take care of the rest of it, if we need."

"But Her Imperial Majesty can't just conduct Foreign Relations like this.  There are procedures, precedents, there are our allies we have to think of..."

"Lady Waltrip," interject the Chancellor.  "Please remember your place here."  Lady Waltrip had been Foreign Minister for two Sovereigns, and knew well enough that this admonishment from the Chancellor was the polite reminder for her not to push too hard.  The Empress slung her muddy trouser leg and boot over the other, and rested her hands on the wide arm rests in her chair as she appeared to be reclining.

"Anya, We are asking you to trust us, but if you must know, it is our desire to end the embargo."  Lady Anya felt the breath leave her lungs at the announcement.  She looked directly at the Empress, and then over to the Chancellor.

"End...  Did she say end the embargo?"  The Chancellor grimly nodded.  "Against the Legion, right?"  Chancellor Koenig rolled his eyes.  

"Of course against the Legion," he said matter of factly, as if it was common knowledge.

"But the Deputies will revolt...  They won't sit for this," Lady Anya Waltrip.  "They'll have our heads."

The Empress said "Only if we fail," in a very confident tone.  "If it all falls apart, we just say it was the fascists that blew it up.  But if it succeeds, we can finally get out of Artania once and for all."

Lady Waltrip turned back to the Empress, who looked more like some punk kid than even a 23 year old woman, let alone the Empress.  "Has Her Imperial Majesty talked with other nations?"

The Empress shook her head.  "Nope.  But we have the sense that Kalistan is providing cover for these other nations to sit on the fence with regard to the Embargo.  And as a result, we are the target of convenience, while all these other free riders get cover without paying any of the reputation costs.  Meanwhile, if we can get some concessions out of the Legion, say, getting them to actually admit what we know they are doing, get them to give up their WMDs, and get them to at least try to start negotiations with Etxea, even if they don't work out, we will have accomplished more peacfully than they were able to accomplish with war.  Whatever other nations want, we will get what we want, and that is our first, last and only concern at the end of the day."

"Her Imperial Majesty certainly understands that our friends will be quite angry with us," said Lady Anya.

"If they are going to hate our Empire as they do now, they may as well have a legitimate reason to do so," said the Empress.  During her short reign she had come to grips with the fact that despite the expressed desires of countless Sovereigns to be friendly with other nations, the nations themselves have more or less adopted a 'hot and cold' posture toward Kalistan.  When it benefits them, they care what Kalistan thinks.  When they can get benefits elsewhere, they will go to even Kalistan's rivals without regard to Kalistan's opinion on the matter.  "So, nothing will be different, we suspect either way.  We may as well get something for Kalistan for once."

Lady Waltrip looked back at the Chancellor.  "And you're going along with this Michael?"

The Chancellor of the Empire responded, "It is Her Imperial Majesty's command.  Of course I am going along with it."  Lady Waltrip couldn't believe what she was hearing and sat dumbfounded.

"Lady Anya, do you have reservations about complying with Her Imperial Majesty's fiat," asked the Chancellor at length.  Lady Anya took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled.

"No, No reservations at all."  She paused.  "But you two better know what you are up to, because this is going to cost this Empire either way."

"Lady Anya, you are correct," said the Empress.  "But if we don't show we have any skin in the game, nobody will ever take us seriously on anything.  We'll be just like a half a dozen other countries who are going to complain about how we aren't embargoing them any longer, but haven't done any sanctions or anything like this themselves, except providing cheerleading support.  Hopefully it encourages concessions from the Legion.  Maybe this is the best chance we have to get rid of their WMDs.  Maybe this is the best chance the world has to get them to settle up with Etxea.  Who knows.  But its a gamble, and it is one we are taking."

"And why would Her Imperial Majesty demand the third condition, about coming clean of all the terrible things they are working on?  How does the world benefit from that?"

"Oh," said the Empress.  "That one is just for us, to prove to ourselves that we aren't crazy."  The three sat for a moment, as Lady Anya felt the meaning in that sentence rattle around in her mind.

"Will there be anything else, Your Imperial Majesty?" asked the Chancellor.

The Empress shook her head but didn't say another word.  She nodded to the Chancellor, and he and the Foreign Minister rose, lowered their head and backed away from the Empress.  She sat in her chair for a long time after they left.