05-14-2018, 05:06 PM
"Prime Minister."
Charlene Hendry jumped slightly with a startle. She had been so engrossed in a financial report before her that she didn't even see the head of the Sanctarian Intelligence Service, Alexandra Maye, enter her office. Last time they spoke, in the situation room, Hendry had been displeased with the scant information the SIS had provided. "Alexandra, hi. Is this about Lauchenoiria?"
"It is, Prime Minister." Maye was a tall woman, with grey hair cut short and in a bob. She was not a spy by trade - she had previously been the country's Ombudsman - but she knew administration, how to lead, and how to collate information effectively. "Do you have a moment to discuss?"
Hendry nodded, put down the report, and motioned for Maye to take a seat. "Go ahead, Alexandra."
"Prime Minister, the SIS is comfortable confirming to you now that there has indeed been a coup in Lauchenoiria. Our agents understand that Prime Minister Moore is on the run - there are reports an aide of hers was seen near the Malabran border, whether or not Moore is with her is not known, but we're considering it likely. Moore will make to leave the country."
Hendry sighed. She had met the Lauchenoirian Prime Minister Laura Moore only weeks previously. They had spoken a few times by telephone. Their relationship was cordial, but distant. The previous Sanctarian administration had not deemed Lauchenoiria a worthy enough trading partner, claiming it was too small. Hendry had hoped to revise that, and was cautiously optimistic that Moore, less communist than her compatriots, would be the right person to work with. "Ok, well liaise with external agencies and see if we can get a confirmation on Moore's location. What else do you have?"
"I've spoke to Foreign Secretary Young, and the information from our embassy in Lauchenoiria is that President Walker is likely to refuse to appoint Suleman Chaher, the country's Home Secretary and instigator of this coup, as Prime Minister. This will put her in a precarious position".
"Precarious as in she's likely to be removed from office?"
"The SIS has made the assessment that Walker should fear for her life. She's a popular figure in Lauchenoiria and is directly elected by the people, giving her legitimacy that other politicians can't claim. Chaher's position as Home Secretary has given him considerable influence over the nation's police and judicial figures. Our agents tell us that he may have military leadership on his side too."
Hendry nodded. "Ok. And what about the situation on the ground?"
"Yes, Prime Minister. There have been fatalities on the parliamentary grounds. The deceased have not yet been identified by anyone the SIS can considered reputable so we can't confirm if they are politicians, aides, security, bystanders, or whoever. The Foreign Secretary, Josephine Alvarez also remains missing. There have been no sightings of either herself or her aides, so the SIS is operating under the assumption that either she is among the casualties, or she has been taken captive."
"We did not need this today Alexandra." Hendry groaned. What to do. "You mentioned you spoke to Brian earlier, what other information did he have?"
"The Foreign Secretary has indicated that the international community isn't buying Chaher's claims this is not a coup. However he doesn't believe, and the SIS concurs, that many will recognise Aeluria's declaration of independence - at this juncture, anyway. We'll see what happens at the end of the conflict."
That word caught Hendry's attention. "Conflict?"
Maye sighed. "Yes, Prime Minister. Our official assessment is that Lauchenoiria is at serious risk of descending into a civil war. The two factions are significant in size and influence, and when President Walker refuses to appoint Chaher Prime Minister, as we expect her to do shortly, he will seize power anyway."
"Well then," Hendry began. "Once that happens, we can't help." The blasted neutrality clause in the constitution wreaking havoc with foreign policy once again. Hendry had a love-hate relationship with the clause. This time, she hated it. "Alexandra, what's the point of having a significant military presence if we can't get involved?"
"Prime Minister, I won't speak for either your Armed Forces Chiefs or for the Homeland Security Secretary, but I would say that our troops are valued as peacekeepers. I understand your frustration at being stuck on the sidelines should civil war break out but we'll be needed towards the end."
"In what way?"
"The same way as always. The Sanctarian Armed Forces always get called in to keep the peace during cease-fires, negotiations and, sometimes, during nation-rebuilding. If I may be so bold as to advise you to remain neutral, as you must, but continuously stress that Sanctaria and her resources are there to assist in diplomatic or peace-keeping situations. If conflict breaks out we can offer protection to humanitarian aid, for example. We've hosted peace conferences before. That is our reputation."
Hendry nodded. "Ok, go back to the Foreign Secretary. Tell him to put an alert out for our citizens in the nation. He is to advise our embassy that non-essential staff are to return to Sanctaria. And once Chaher makes his move after Walker refuses to appoint him, as you tell me will happen, tell him to get our Ambassador to send a missive to both camps, stressing our neutrality and availability, whenever they need it, for humanitarian, peacekeeping, or diplomatic purposes."
Maye nodded curtly. "Thank you, Prime Minister."
Muttering under her breath, Hendry turned on a 24 hours new channel - just to keep an ear on what was happening - and returned to the fiscal reports on her desk. The world was changing, but Sanctaria still had to be ran.
Charlene Hendry jumped slightly with a startle. She had been so engrossed in a financial report before her that she didn't even see the head of the Sanctarian Intelligence Service, Alexandra Maye, enter her office. Last time they spoke, in the situation room, Hendry had been displeased with the scant information the SIS had provided. "Alexandra, hi. Is this about Lauchenoiria?"
"It is, Prime Minister." Maye was a tall woman, with grey hair cut short and in a bob. She was not a spy by trade - she had previously been the country's Ombudsman - but she knew administration, how to lead, and how to collate information effectively. "Do you have a moment to discuss?"
Hendry nodded, put down the report, and motioned for Maye to take a seat. "Go ahead, Alexandra."
"Prime Minister, the SIS is comfortable confirming to you now that there has indeed been a coup in Lauchenoiria. Our agents understand that Prime Minister Moore is on the run - there are reports an aide of hers was seen near the Malabran border, whether or not Moore is with her is not known, but we're considering it likely. Moore will make to leave the country."
Hendry sighed. She had met the Lauchenoirian Prime Minister Laura Moore only weeks previously. They had spoken a few times by telephone. Their relationship was cordial, but distant. The previous Sanctarian administration had not deemed Lauchenoiria a worthy enough trading partner, claiming it was too small. Hendry had hoped to revise that, and was cautiously optimistic that Moore, less communist than her compatriots, would be the right person to work with. "Ok, well liaise with external agencies and see if we can get a confirmation on Moore's location. What else do you have?"
"I've spoke to Foreign Secretary Young, and the information from our embassy in Lauchenoiria is that President Walker is likely to refuse to appoint Suleman Chaher, the country's Home Secretary and instigator of this coup, as Prime Minister. This will put her in a precarious position".
"Precarious as in she's likely to be removed from office?"
"The SIS has made the assessment that Walker should fear for her life. She's a popular figure in Lauchenoiria and is directly elected by the people, giving her legitimacy that other politicians can't claim. Chaher's position as Home Secretary has given him considerable influence over the nation's police and judicial figures. Our agents tell us that he may have military leadership on his side too."
Hendry nodded. "Ok. And what about the situation on the ground?"
"Yes, Prime Minister. There have been fatalities on the parliamentary grounds. The deceased have not yet been identified by anyone the SIS can considered reputable so we can't confirm if they are politicians, aides, security, bystanders, or whoever. The Foreign Secretary, Josephine Alvarez also remains missing. There have been no sightings of either herself or her aides, so the SIS is operating under the assumption that either she is among the casualties, or she has been taken captive."
"We did not need this today Alexandra." Hendry groaned. What to do. "You mentioned you spoke to Brian earlier, what other information did he have?"
"The Foreign Secretary has indicated that the international community isn't buying Chaher's claims this is not a coup. However he doesn't believe, and the SIS concurs, that many will recognise Aeluria's declaration of independence - at this juncture, anyway. We'll see what happens at the end of the conflict."
That word caught Hendry's attention. "Conflict?"
Maye sighed. "Yes, Prime Minister. Our official assessment is that Lauchenoiria is at serious risk of descending into a civil war. The two factions are significant in size and influence, and when President Walker refuses to appoint Chaher Prime Minister, as we expect her to do shortly, he will seize power anyway."
"Well then," Hendry began. "Once that happens, we can't help." The blasted neutrality clause in the constitution wreaking havoc with foreign policy once again. Hendry had a love-hate relationship with the clause. This time, she hated it. "Alexandra, what's the point of having a significant military presence if we can't get involved?"
"Prime Minister, I won't speak for either your Armed Forces Chiefs or for the Homeland Security Secretary, but I would say that our troops are valued as peacekeepers. I understand your frustration at being stuck on the sidelines should civil war break out but we'll be needed towards the end."
"In what way?"
"The same way as always. The Sanctarian Armed Forces always get called in to keep the peace during cease-fires, negotiations and, sometimes, during nation-rebuilding. If I may be so bold as to advise you to remain neutral, as you must, but continuously stress that Sanctaria and her resources are there to assist in diplomatic or peace-keeping situations. If conflict breaks out we can offer protection to humanitarian aid, for example. We've hosted peace conferences before. That is our reputation."
Hendry nodded. "Ok, go back to the Foreign Secretary. Tell him to put an alert out for our citizens in the nation. He is to advise our embassy that non-essential staff are to return to Sanctaria. And once Chaher makes his move after Walker refuses to appoint him, as you tell me will happen, tell him to get our Ambassador to send a missive to both camps, stressing our neutrality and availability, whenever they need it, for humanitarian, peacekeeping, or diplomatic purposes."
Maye nodded curtly. "Thank you, Prime Minister."
Muttering under her breath, Hendry turned on a 24 hours new channel - just to keep an ear on what was happening - and returned to the fiscal reports on her desk. The world was changing, but Sanctaria still had to be ran.