09-09-2019, 08:04 AM
Lancaster Manor, Xiomerans' guesthouse, one hour earlier
Secretary of International Affairs Huitzilhuani sipped her favorite early-morning beverage: coffee with cinnamon and sugar. She had just finished off her breakfast, and was reviewing her briefing notes on her tablet, when Mecē, the head of her security detail, knocked gently before opening the door to her private chamber and peering inside. "Madam Secretary, I am sorry for the interruption, but something serious has happened back home. Someone has attempted to assassinate the Emperor. He has been shot," he said quietly.
"What?" Huitzilhuani said, standing quickly. Her coffee mug clattered onto its saucer, unnoticed, as she hastily pulled on her suit jacket and grabbed her things.
"The Chief Justice wishes to speak with you," Mecē said, handing Huitzilhuani a secured phone. "Good morning, Secretary Huitzilhuani," Nopalliztli said, his voice sad but firm. "I am sorry you have to hear about the incident back home this way," he said.
"That's quite allright, sir...I assume you have assumed leadership authority until the Emperor recovers, as the law specifies?" the Secretary asked.
"Correct, madam. I am hoping, frankly, that my tenure as a temporary Emperor is as short as possible, but until his Excellency recovers, please report to me," Nopalliztli replied.
"Of course, sir. Does this incident change anything about my mission here in Eiria?"
"Nothing changes, we are to remain on our usual routine. Xiomera must not appear to be chaotic or in crisis. We must assure the world that we remain strong and in charge of our domestic affairs. You are to pursue the same agenda and goals in the conference as before," Nopalliztli replied.
"Very good, I shall do so. And....the Emperor? How is he doing?" Huitzilhuani asked.
"He is in a coma and they are operating on him....we do not know his condition yet," Nopalliztli said soberly. "It was Cētlalhui."
"Cētlalhui shot the Emperor? Has he gone mad?" Huitzilhuani said in shock.
"If he has not, he will be mad by the time Tepilcayotl is done with him," Nopalliztli said grimly as Huitzilhuani shuddered at the thought. "I can only hope he is the only one involved. In the meantime, I will do my best to make these talks work," Huitzilhuani said
"Thank you, Madam Secretary. And Huitzilhuani....be careful. Eiria is safe enough, but when the Obsidian Throne is no longer firmly occupied....things can happen," Nopalliztli said. "Just watch yourself out there, and when you get back home."
"Thank you for the concern, Nopalliztli. Please be careful yourself," Huitzilhuani replied, hanging up the line. Once she was off the phone with Nopalliztli, Huitzilhuani sighed. She had always joked with the more reform-minded members of the Council about how things would be if Topilpopoca were no longer Emperor....but not like this. A chaotic removal, uncertainty about who might rule next...that was not the punch line they had ever wanted.
Huitzilhuani sighed again, straightening the lines of her suit jacket. She didn't have time to worry about that now. She still had a job to do. Walking out of her private chamber to the living area of the guesthouse, she found her staff nervously watching the television, where the news had just broken about the assassination attempt. One of two of her staff members were crying; the others looked distinctly frightened and nervous. This would not do.
"Allright, everyone. I just heard the news, and I can see you have, too. Yes, what has happened to the Emperor is a tragedy, and we're all a little uncertain about the future back home and worried about what might come next. But we have a job to do here, and a country and people to represent. We are Xiomerans - we don't stand in front of the world like frightened children. So wipe the tears, get the scared looks off your faces, and calm down. Once these talks are over, we can come back here and cry it all out and talk about it around many bottles of wine - and I will be right here with you crying and drinking. But for now, we must go out there and do our duty. That's what the Emperor would want, and what our people would expect of us," Huitzilhuani said calmly.
Mecē nodded approvingly as the staff members got their act together. Without any further words, they began preparing for the talks.
Conference room, Lancaster Manor, one hour later
Huitzilhuani listened to Abbott, and then Demore, politely as they spoke; her staff had impassive looks on their faces showing no evidence of their earlier emotions. When her time came, the Secretary rose to speak.
"To begin, I would like to thank our hosts here at Lancaster Manor, and the Eirian government, for agreeing to host these talks. Your courtesy has been most appreciated by my people. I would also like to thank our colleagues from Kerlile, Zamastan and Trive from agreeing to be here as well," Huitzilhuani said, nodding to each representative in turn. "I would also like to express my condolences to Secretary Demore, and to the Zamastanian people, both on a personal level and as the representative of my nation and people, for the tragedy that you have suffered with the recent earthquake. Our hearts do go out to you, and if there is anything Xiomera can do to help, it would be our honor to do so," she added.
"I would also like to assure everyone here, given recent events in Xiomera, that there is no cause for concern. While an attempt to assassinate the Emperor is a grave thing indeed, we have every confidence in his speedy recovery, and also have robust measures in place to ensure the continuity of government and continued stability in Xiomera. There is no cause for concern or alarm, and we are prepared to move forward in discussions," Huitzilhuani said.
"As for the position of the Xiomeran government, we are in accord with much of what has been expressed already. We seek the end to all tariffs and sanctions on both Xiomeran and Kerlian goods, and are prepared to respond by removing all tariffs and sanctions on Zamastanian and Trivian goods. In essence, we would also like to return to the status quo before this dispute began. We also are open to further discussions on trade once the tariffs and sanctions are lifted on both sides. We also support the Kerlian position as it pertains to the matter with Trive, and would urge the Trivians to accept the Kerlian position as a way of resuming normal trade and diplomatic relations on both sides. We are willing to consider trade or other diplomatic incentives between Xiomera and Trive if that will encourage the Trivian government to accept Kerlile's position in these talks," Huitzilhuani said.
"The one other matter of interest to the Xiomeran government on this matter is the issue of tariffs and sanctions in general. As we have seen, such sanctions cause far more harm for everyone than good. Therefore, the Xiomeran government would like all parties here to consider an agreement not to use sanctions or tariffs, or other trade hindrances, as a means of encouraging political change or expressing disagreement with another nation's ideology or values. We feel the regional economy is too important to risk in the future, and such an agreement would do much to reassure the rest of the IDU that we can be trusted as reliable trading partners."
Having given the Xiomeran position, Huitzilhuani sat down and waited to see who would respond next.
Secretary of International Affairs Huitzilhuani sipped her favorite early-morning beverage: coffee with cinnamon and sugar. She had just finished off her breakfast, and was reviewing her briefing notes on her tablet, when Mecē, the head of her security detail, knocked gently before opening the door to her private chamber and peering inside. "Madam Secretary, I am sorry for the interruption, but something serious has happened back home. Someone has attempted to assassinate the Emperor. He has been shot," he said quietly.
"What?" Huitzilhuani said, standing quickly. Her coffee mug clattered onto its saucer, unnoticed, as she hastily pulled on her suit jacket and grabbed her things.
"The Chief Justice wishes to speak with you," Mecē said, handing Huitzilhuani a secured phone. "Good morning, Secretary Huitzilhuani," Nopalliztli said, his voice sad but firm. "I am sorry you have to hear about the incident back home this way," he said.
"That's quite allright, sir...I assume you have assumed leadership authority until the Emperor recovers, as the law specifies?" the Secretary asked.
"Correct, madam. I am hoping, frankly, that my tenure as a temporary Emperor is as short as possible, but until his Excellency recovers, please report to me," Nopalliztli replied.
"Of course, sir. Does this incident change anything about my mission here in Eiria?"
"Nothing changes, we are to remain on our usual routine. Xiomera must not appear to be chaotic or in crisis. We must assure the world that we remain strong and in charge of our domestic affairs. You are to pursue the same agenda and goals in the conference as before," Nopalliztli replied.
"Very good, I shall do so. And....the Emperor? How is he doing?" Huitzilhuani asked.
"He is in a coma and they are operating on him....we do not know his condition yet," Nopalliztli said soberly. "It was Cētlalhui."
"Cētlalhui shot the Emperor? Has he gone mad?" Huitzilhuani said in shock.
"If he has not, he will be mad by the time Tepilcayotl is done with him," Nopalliztli said grimly as Huitzilhuani shuddered at the thought. "I can only hope he is the only one involved. In the meantime, I will do my best to make these talks work," Huitzilhuani said
"Thank you, Madam Secretary. And Huitzilhuani....be careful. Eiria is safe enough, but when the Obsidian Throne is no longer firmly occupied....things can happen," Nopalliztli said. "Just watch yourself out there, and when you get back home."
"Thank you for the concern, Nopalliztli. Please be careful yourself," Huitzilhuani replied, hanging up the line. Once she was off the phone with Nopalliztli, Huitzilhuani sighed. She had always joked with the more reform-minded members of the Council about how things would be if Topilpopoca were no longer Emperor....but not like this. A chaotic removal, uncertainty about who might rule next...that was not the punch line they had ever wanted.
Huitzilhuani sighed again, straightening the lines of her suit jacket. She didn't have time to worry about that now. She still had a job to do. Walking out of her private chamber to the living area of the guesthouse, she found her staff nervously watching the television, where the news had just broken about the assassination attempt. One of two of her staff members were crying; the others looked distinctly frightened and nervous. This would not do.
"Allright, everyone. I just heard the news, and I can see you have, too. Yes, what has happened to the Emperor is a tragedy, and we're all a little uncertain about the future back home and worried about what might come next. But we have a job to do here, and a country and people to represent. We are Xiomerans - we don't stand in front of the world like frightened children. So wipe the tears, get the scared looks off your faces, and calm down. Once these talks are over, we can come back here and cry it all out and talk about it around many bottles of wine - and I will be right here with you crying and drinking. But for now, we must go out there and do our duty. That's what the Emperor would want, and what our people would expect of us," Huitzilhuani said calmly.
Mecē nodded approvingly as the staff members got their act together. Without any further words, they began preparing for the talks.
Conference room, Lancaster Manor, one hour later
Huitzilhuani listened to Abbott, and then Demore, politely as they spoke; her staff had impassive looks on their faces showing no evidence of their earlier emotions. When her time came, the Secretary rose to speak.
"To begin, I would like to thank our hosts here at Lancaster Manor, and the Eirian government, for agreeing to host these talks. Your courtesy has been most appreciated by my people. I would also like to thank our colleagues from Kerlile, Zamastan and Trive from agreeing to be here as well," Huitzilhuani said, nodding to each representative in turn. "I would also like to express my condolences to Secretary Demore, and to the Zamastanian people, both on a personal level and as the representative of my nation and people, for the tragedy that you have suffered with the recent earthquake. Our hearts do go out to you, and if there is anything Xiomera can do to help, it would be our honor to do so," she added.
"I would also like to assure everyone here, given recent events in Xiomera, that there is no cause for concern. While an attempt to assassinate the Emperor is a grave thing indeed, we have every confidence in his speedy recovery, and also have robust measures in place to ensure the continuity of government and continued stability in Xiomera. There is no cause for concern or alarm, and we are prepared to move forward in discussions," Huitzilhuani said.
"As for the position of the Xiomeran government, we are in accord with much of what has been expressed already. We seek the end to all tariffs and sanctions on both Xiomeran and Kerlian goods, and are prepared to respond by removing all tariffs and sanctions on Zamastanian and Trivian goods. In essence, we would also like to return to the status quo before this dispute began. We also are open to further discussions on trade once the tariffs and sanctions are lifted on both sides. We also support the Kerlian position as it pertains to the matter with Trive, and would urge the Trivians to accept the Kerlian position as a way of resuming normal trade and diplomatic relations on both sides. We are willing to consider trade or other diplomatic incentives between Xiomera and Trive if that will encourage the Trivian government to accept Kerlile's position in these talks," Huitzilhuani said.
"The one other matter of interest to the Xiomeran government on this matter is the issue of tariffs and sanctions in general. As we have seen, such sanctions cause far more harm for everyone than good. Therefore, the Xiomeran government would like all parties here to consider an agreement not to use sanctions or tariffs, or other trade hindrances, as a means of encouraging political change or expressing disagreement with another nation's ideology or values. We feel the regional economy is too important to risk in the future, and such an agreement would do much to reassure the rest of the IDU that we can be trusted as reliable trading partners."
Having given the Xiomeran position, Huitzilhuani sat down and waited to see who would respond next.
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