03-27-2021, 01:30 AM
After some discussion among the ANAN delegates, Matōchmizalo stood up with a smile on his face. Nothing of what President Liu had said had come as any great surprise to them either, and they were quite pleased with the outcome. The refusal of President Liu to let the Xiomerans get away with their attempt to avoid being bound by a formal set of votes allowing Manauia Island and the Netlcoātl Islands their independence was especially agreeable to them. A verbal promise, after all, was as good as no promise at all. If the Xiomerans attempted to re-occupy either Manauia Island or the Netlcoātl Islands, they would be in violation of a formal treaty, with all the consequences that brought. It wasn't the complete deterrent against Xiomera that the ANAN states had been hoping for, but it was an excellent start. "We are in agreement with President Liu, and have nothing further to add or request at this time. We are slightly disappointed that the question of reparations will not be addressed now, but we are content to shelve that for another time," the Milintican president said, before sitting back down. The look on Calhualyana's face at the idea of re-visiting reparations at another time clearly conveyed her opinion of that suggestion as sure, let's revisit that question next never.
After Matōchmizalo had sat down, it was time for the Huenyan delegation to speak. They were slightly less content than the ANAN group. They had wanted the question of reparations brought up as well, and had naturally wanted the Canal for themselves. They had also hoped that the question of the factories in Kerlile would be resolved immediately. But it was clear that none of that was going to happen here, and sometimes you needed to compromise and get some of what you wanted rather than lose it all. Yauhmi stood up, giving a slight smile as well. "We thank you once again, madam President, for your diligence and that of your team on this very complex set of issues. We are pleased to see the requested alterations to ensure that Huenya is properly able to defend itself, and that the general international consensus on what should happen to the Canal shall not be altered," she said. The expressions on the faces of the Xiomeran delegation, which had been stony to begin with, took on a positively chiseled tone at that statement. "We are also disappointed that measures to screen and possibly block people from entry into Xiomera will be accepted, as we remain concerned that the regime will use security as an excuse to block anyone they disapprove of from entry. However, we do not believe our concerns are sufficient to reject an agreement which would bring peace to Huenya."
"We would second the remarks of the Kerlian delegation concerning restrictions on weapons trading with third-party states and ask that none be placed in the final document, for the same reasons that the Kerlian delegation outlined. Other than that, however, we have no further objections and are prepared to proceed forward." When Yauhmi sat back down, that left only the Xiomerans.
Unlike the ANAN and Huenyan delegates, the Xiomerans were hardly content. Far from it, in fact. Despite the polite words and diplomatic statements, it was becoming increasingly clear that virtually all of the Xiomeran positions were being rejected. The Canal revenue question and alternative split the Xiomerans had suggested had been rebuffed. The concerns the Xiomerans had about Huenya possessing WMDs had not resulted in Huenya being required to surrender them, as asked. There had been some concessions about being able to screen people coming into Xiomera from one of the separatist states, and about the right to unilateral self-defense, and those were seen as important by the Xiomerans. The annoying question about reparations had also been dodged. But on so many other issues, the Empire was being rejected. Even their request that their own factories in Kerlile, which they had built, was being punted to some future discussion instead of just being given back to their rightful owners as the Xiomerans felt they had every right to expect.
The Xiomerans were clearly displeased; the expressions on their faces and the somewhat audible muttering within their delegation demonstrated that clearly enough. But at the end, the Xiomerans all turned to Empress Calhualyana to see what she would do. It was, ultimately, her decision.
And for the Empress, as much as she might have wished it was, there was no decision for her to make at all.
The terms of the agreement, though somewhat unfair to Xiomera in her opinion, were still better than what Xiomera could have gotten. And the only other option Calhualyana had was to refuse to accept the terms, to stalk out of the room, and to restart the war. A war Xiomera, likely as not, would lose. A war Xiomerans, back home, were making clear they no longer had any interest in fighting anyway. Calhualyana's support was soaring in Xiomera precisely because she had promised to end the war. The Imperial Glory Party, her chief rivals on the Xiomeran right, had been decisively defeated by her XCP in recent elections because they wanted to keep fighting when everyone else in Xiomera was ready to move on. Their attempted coup, which had dragged Calhualyana out of Jinyu in the middle of the night to face it down, had only failed because Xiomerans wanted the war to be done.
Even an Empress accustomed to wielding absolute power, when faced with millions upon millions of people saying no more, had little choice but to obey in the end. Calhualyana could refuse to accept the agreement, or push back and try again to get what she had wanted. But if that meant the talks failed, and she had to go back to Xiomera and try to start fighting again, she had no confidence that the Xiomeran people would back her. In fact, she was certain they would not - and her reign would end before it even began. Even if she agreed to the terms that were being proposed, she would have to engage in a massive purge of her own ranks to weed out those who would believe she had been weak, and had given away too much for a cheap peace, just to keep her throne.
There were no good choices for Calhualyana. In fact, in the end, there were no choices at all. Standing up slowly, the Empress looked at everyone in the room. She rather felt that they knew they had her cornered - but she would not give them the pleasure of seeing her flinch. "The Xiomeran Empire.....appreciates the consideration of our positions by you and your team, madam President," Calhualyana said. "We will not pretend that we are honestly very pleased with this agreement as it stands. But in any such situation, someone has to give for things to work. So.....the Xiomeran Empire will accept the agreement as currently outlined, without any further reservations," she said, before sitting down as slowly as she had risen.
When Calhualyana looked back up, she couldn't ignore the sight of Yauhmi and Huacue looking at each other with an expression of triumph on their faces. You both believe this is the end of it. You've forgotten what Xiomeran history teaches us. We built an Empire over centuries because we are infinitely patient. I may have lost today. But there are a million days ahead of me. This is the end of nothing. Nothing at all, the Empress thought while maintaining the politely civilized expression on her face.
After Matōchmizalo had sat down, it was time for the Huenyan delegation to speak. They were slightly less content than the ANAN group. They had wanted the question of reparations brought up as well, and had naturally wanted the Canal for themselves. They had also hoped that the question of the factories in Kerlile would be resolved immediately. But it was clear that none of that was going to happen here, and sometimes you needed to compromise and get some of what you wanted rather than lose it all. Yauhmi stood up, giving a slight smile as well. "We thank you once again, madam President, for your diligence and that of your team on this very complex set of issues. We are pleased to see the requested alterations to ensure that Huenya is properly able to defend itself, and that the general international consensus on what should happen to the Canal shall not be altered," she said. The expressions on the faces of the Xiomeran delegation, which had been stony to begin with, took on a positively chiseled tone at that statement. "We are also disappointed that measures to screen and possibly block people from entry into Xiomera will be accepted, as we remain concerned that the regime will use security as an excuse to block anyone they disapprove of from entry. However, we do not believe our concerns are sufficient to reject an agreement which would bring peace to Huenya."
"We would second the remarks of the Kerlian delegation concerning restrictions on weapons trading with third-party states and ask that none be placed in the final document, for the same reasons that the Kerlian delegation outlined. Other than that, however, we have no further objections and are prepared to proceed forward." When Yauhmi sat back down, that left only the Xiomerans.
Unlike the ANAN and Huenyan delegates, the Xiomerans were hardly content. Far from it, in fact. Despite the polite words and diplomatic statements, it was becoming increasingly clear that virtually all of the Xiomeran positions were being rejected. The Canal revenue question and alternative split the Xiomerans had suggested had been rebuffed. The concerns the Xiomerans had about Huenya possessing WMDs had not resulted in Huenya being required to surrender them, as asked. There had been some concessions about being able to screen people coming into Xiomera from one of the separatist states, and about the right to unilateral self-defense, and those were seen as important by the Xiomerans. The annoying question about reparations had also been dodged. But on so many other issues, the Empire was being rejected. Even their request that their own factories in Kerlile, which they had built, was being punted to some future discussion instead of just being given back to their rightful owners as the Xiomerans felt they had every right to expect.
The Xiomerans were clearly displeased; the expressions on their faces and the somewhat audible muttering within their delegation demonstrated that clearly enough. But at the end, the Xiomerans all turned to Empress Calhualyana to see what she would do. It was, ultimately, her decision.
And for the Empress, as much as she might have wished it was, there was no decision for her to make at all.
The terms of the agreement, though somewhat unfair to Xiomera in her opinion, were still better than what Xiomera could have gotten. And the only other option Calhualyana had was to refuse to accept the terms, to stalk out of the room, and to restart the war. A war Xiomera, likely as not, would lose. A war Xiomerans, back home, were making clear they no longer had any interest in fighting anyway. Calhualyana's support was soaring in Xiomera precisely because she had promised to end the war. The Imperial Glory Party, her chief rivals on the Xiomeran right, had been decisively defeated by her XCP in recent elections because they wanted to keep fighting when everyone else in Xiomera was ready to move on. Their attempted coup, which had dragged Calhualyana out of Jinyu in the middle of the night to face it down, had only failed because Xiomerans wanted the war to be done.
Even an Empress accustomed to wielding absolute power, when faced with millions upon millions of people saying no more, had little choice but to obey in the end. Calhualyana could refuse to accept the agreement, or push back and try again to get what she had wanted. But if that meant the talks failed, and she had to go back to Xiomera and try to start fighting again, she had no confidence that the Xiomeran people would back her. In fact, she was certain they would not - and her reign would end before it even began. Even if she agreed to the terms that were being proposed, she would have to engage in a massive purge of her own ranks to weed out those who would believe she had been weak, and had given away too much for a cheap peace, just to keep her throne.
There were no good choices for Calhualyana. In fact, in the end, there were no choices at all. Standing up slowly, the Empress looked at everyone in the room. She rather felt that they knew they had her cornered - but she would not give them the pleasure of seeing her flinch. "The Xiomeran Empire.....appreciates the consideration of our positions by you and your team, madam President," Calhualyana said. "We will not pretend that we are honestly very pleased with this agreement as it stands. But in any such situation, someone has to give for things to work. So.....the Xiomeran Empire will accept the agreement as currently outlined, without any further reservations," she said, before sitting down as slowly as she had risen.
When Calhualyana looked back up, she couldn't ignore the sight of Yauhmi and Huacue looking at each other with an expression of triumph on their faces. You both believe this is the end of it. You've forgotten what Xiomeran history teaches us. We built an Empire over centuries because we are infinitely patient. I may have lost today. But there are a million days ahead of me. This is the end of nothing. Nothing at all, the Empress thought while maintaining the politely civilized expression on her face.
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