04-01-2021, 02:09 AM
The morning of January 26th dawned bright and clear, with the sun glittering through the vast glass windows of the Jinyu Conference Center and onto the main floor. Inside, a broad stage had been set up, where the chief representative from each delegation sat in front of a backdrop, ready for the press pool who had already begun snapping pictures. From left to right: Minmintao Johnson, of Slokais. President Matōchmizalo, of Milintica. Minister Alice Lancaster, of Eiria. Cihuātlahtoāni Yauhmi, of Huenya. President Liu, of Laeral. Empress Calhualyana, of Xiomera. Councillor Georgiou, of Kerlile. President Ahuac, of the Netlcoātl Islands. Sapa Tanqui, of Manauia Island. Nine representatives of nine different governments, running the gamut from heirs to centuries-old thrones to elected politicians to insurgent revolutionaries. From where she sat in the center, with the empress of Xiomera to her left, the Great Speaker of Huenya to her right, and the assembled domestic and foreign press directly in front, President Liu took a moment to marvel at the occasion. Eight countries which had been on warring sides were now assembled at the same table in the same conference center, to sign their assent to a treaty meant to bring peace in perpetuity to an entire region of the world. At a signal from Alexandre at the far side of the room, President Liu stood to face the journalists and their cameras-- and by extension, the history books.
"The gathering that we see here today would have been considered impossible six months ago," Liu said. "When the northeast Catican region fell into a brutal and savage war last year, it seemed inconceivable that the war would be settled by words, and inevitable that it would be settled through bloodshed. With distressing speed, the entire region fell into violence and chaos, and every day the war seemed to grow in its size and intensity. The blood of the young people of numerous nations-- some of them soldiers who had accepted the risk of death, and far too many of them civilians who had not. We cannot know the final toll of all those who lost their lives in this war, nor can we know the final price exacted by this war in blood and flesh and murdered dreams. But what we know without a doubt is that the cost of this war was far, far too high. I now call for a minute of silence to commemorate the tens of thousands of people who lost their lives in the course of this conflict."
Liu bowed her head, as did the dignitaries around her, and silence fell over the convention hall. 60 seconds later, Liu looked up to face the cameras once more, and continued speaking.
"But while we know that the human cost of this war was entirely too high, we can take comfort in the certainty that had the leaders of the warring countries not had the courage to come to the negotiating table here in Jinyu, that the toll of the war would have been steeper and more tragic still. Because of the leap of faith which all of the assembled nations have taken, we now have a treaty before us which will lay the groundwork for a peace with dignity for the entire Greater Huenyan region. No country received everything it wanted. That would be an ultimatum, not a treaty. But every country has received the assurances that their sovereignty will be made secure, their dignity respected, and their people able to live in peace with their neighbors, and it's this solid assurance which will be the bedrock which forms the basis for a lasting, inclusive peace in the region. With the signing of the Jinyu Peace Agreement, not only do we bring a terrible war to a close, but we pave the way for a future peace and security for the millions of people of the region."
Liu paused to accentuate the gravity of the moment.
"Sapa Tanqui, if you would do the honor of being the first to sign the Jinyu Peace Agreement?"
At the end of the table, Tanqui took up the gilt pen sitting before him at the table and signed his name, before passing the treaty to self-proclaimed president Ahuac, sitting to his right. Empress Calhualyana tersely added her signature to the document, before passing it to President Liu, who took up her own pen and added her name in bold characters to the treaty, before handing it to Yauhmi. Once the document had reached the end of the line and Slokais's Ambassador Johnson had signed off with a flourish, Liu stood and struck a small ceremonial gong with a miniature hammer. "With these signatures," Liu announced, "the Jinyu Peace Agreement hereby enters into effect." From the back of the hall, a curtain slid back to reveal an orchestra, who immediately struck up a familiar excerpt from the Laeralian composer Bellec's "Verdant Peace" suite, as confetti erupted from the rafters to fall gracefully over the assembled delegates and media. Against this backdrop, Liu turned to her left and embraced Yauhmi in a bear hug, seemingly catching the older woman off guard, before turning to her right and hugging Calhualyana as well. Over the coming days and months, there'd be referendums to oversee, peacekeepers to organize, and doubtlessly countless crises as the fractious states of the region reasserted their differences-- but for the moment, there was an end to conflict, and a hope for a future free of it, and that was enough.
"The gathering that we see here today would have been considered impossible six months ago," Liu said. "When the northeast Catican region fell into a brutal and savage war last year, it seemed inconceivable that the war would be settled by words, and inevitable that it would be settled through bloodshed. With distressing speed, the entire region fell into violence and chaos, and every day the war seemed to grow in its size and intensity. The blood of the young people of numerous nations-- some of them soldiers who had accepted the risk of death, and far too many of them civilians who had not. We cannot know the final toll of all those who lost their lives in this war, nor can we know the final price exacted by this war in blood and flesh and murdered dreams. But what we know without a doubt is that the cost of this war was far, far too high. I now call for a minute of silence to commemorate the tens of thousands of people who lost their lives in the course of this conflict."
Liu bowed her head, as did the dignitaries around her, and silence fell over the convention hall. 60 seconds later, Liu looked up to face the cameras once more, and continued speaking.
"But while we know that the human cost of this war was entirely too high, we can take comfort in the certainty that had the leaders of the warring countries not had the courage to come to the negotiating table here in Jinyu, that the toll of the war would have been steeper and more tragic still. Because of the leap of faith which all of the assembled nations have taken, we now have a treaty before us which will lay the groundwork for a peace with dignity for the entire Greater Huenyan region. No country received everything it wanted. That would be an ultimatum, not a treaty. But every country has received the assurances that their sovereignty will be made secure, their dignity respected, and their people able to live in peace with their neighbors, and it's this solid assurance which will be the bedrock which forms the basis for a lasting, inclusive peace in the region. With the signing of the Jinyu Peace Agreement, not only do we bring a terrible war to a close, but we pave the way for a future peace and security for the millions of people of the region."
Liu paused to accentuate the gravity of the moment.
"Sapa Tanqui, if you would do the honor of being the first to sign the Jinyu Peace Agreement?"
At the end of the table, Tanqui took up the gilt pen sitting before him at the table and signed his name, before passing the treaty to self-proclaimed president Ahuac, sitting to his right. Empress Calhualyana tersely added her signature to the document, before passing it to President Liu, who took up her own pen and added her name in bold characters to the treaty, before handing it to Yauhmi. Once the document had reached the end of the line and Slokais's Ambassador Johnson had signed off with a flourish, Liu stood and struck a small ceremonial gong with a miniature hammer. "With these signatures," Liu announced, "the Jinyu Peace Agreement hereby enters into effect." From the back of the hall, a curtain slid back to reveal an orchestra, who immediately struck up a familiar excerpt from the Laeralian composer Bellec's "Verdant Peace" suite, as confetti erupted from the rafters to fall gracefully over the assembled delegates and media. Against this backdrop, Liu turned to her left and embraced Yauhmi in a bear hug, seemingly catching the older woman off guard, before turning to her right and hugging Calhualyana as well. Over the coming days and months, there'd be referendums to oversee, peacekeepers to organize, and doubtlessly countless crises as the fractious states of the region reasserted their differences-- but for the moment, there was an end to conflict, and a hope for a future free of it, and that was enough.