08-28-2022, 01:16 AM
(RP note: At the end of 2019, then-Empress Yauhmi of Xiomera went on an international tour to mend fences with other nations. In 2022, Yauhmi found herself in a very different role. As the queen mother (nantzintli) of Huenya, her task was not so much to mend fences as to build bridges where none existed. In one of the new responsibilities of her position, she was to serve as an international ambassador to represent Huenya on the world stage. It was hoped that some of the old magic she had displayed on that stage would translate to good relations for Huenya with other countries. So at the end of August 2022, Yauhmi would undertake a second tour of the world.)
The Huenyan military transport plane cruised effortlessly over its homeland. Unlike many things in the rebuilding country, the plane functioned perfectly. Much attention was paid to it to make sure it did. It was carrying important cargo, after all.
Yauhmi looked out the window of the plane, musing to herself as the miles slipped by. Three years ago, on a similar trip, she had been the undisputed ruler of an immensely powerful and wealthy nation. Today, she was a deposed monarch of a different country that, though rebuilding fast, was neither wealthy or powerful. One that was under threat from the country she used to rule, no less. Life does love to throw curve balls at us, she thought without sadness.
She leaned back slightly in her chair, seeking a more comfortable position. The military plane, though maintained faultlessly and made as pleasant as possible, was hardly the same as the luxury she had once flown in when she was Empress. Despite the rather stiff chairs, Yauhmi made herself focus on the purpose of her trip. It was far more important than her comfort.
Yauhmi had to see if she could summon her old persuasiveness and charm to convince the world that the Xiomeran Empire, and the ruler who had replaced her, represented the greatest threats possible to world peace and stability. The world so far seemed to want nothing more than to bury its head in the sand concerning Calhualyana and her dreams of a "New Empire". Yauhmi had to wake her fellow leaders up to the seriousness of the threat.
While the negotiation of new diplomatic and economic agreements would be part of her trip as well, of course, the main goal was clear. Convince the rest of the world to take more concrete action to rein in Calhualyana, or depose her, if necessary. It was perhaps the most important task Yauhmi had ever undertaken. It was a deceptively simple goal. Fulfilling it would be anything but.
---
Unlike Yauhmi, the person seated next to her preferred the military plane to its luxurious Imperial rivals. It was much easier to secure than a civilian counterpart.
Tlalmaxxi had left her assignment to aid the counter-insurgency mission against "Western Xiomera" to come on the trip with Yauhmi. There had been little reason for her to remain on the mission, given the cease-fire declared by Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli. She had considered the cease-fire a grave mistake. She hadn't been the only one, either. The Milintican guerrillas who had been helping on the frontline, refusing to accept the cease-fire, had reportedly left their camp and crossed into insurgent territory en masse to continue fighting. The brave fools have probably all been killed or captured by now, Tlalmaxxi thought as she made herself focus as well on her own mission here. While Tlalmaxxi was partly there to help Yauhmi do her convincing, she was mostly there to protect the nantzintli. Imperial Intelligence probably saw the trip, which was taking Yauhmi far from her well-protected estate in the middle of Huenya, as a prime opportunity to remove her as a thorn in Calhualyana's side once and for all. It also could not be denied that not everyone loved Yauhmi, and the chance of her receiving a negative reception on her travels could not be ignored.
There was one other reason for her to accompany Yauhmi on the trip. Tlalmaxxi was to slowly begin assuming many of the duties Yauhmi was performing, beginning with this trip. While Yauhmi was still more capable than one might expect, being 74 years old was taking a toll. The torture and mistreatment she had suffered while imprisoned during the civil war had taken a greater toll, one unrevealed to most people. It was Yauhmi's typically pragmatic decision that it was time to begin training her replacement.
As the two of the worked through their thoughts, the plane sped towards its first destination.
The Huenyan military transport plane cruised effortlessly over its homeland. Unlike many things in the rebuilding country, the plane functioned perfectly. Much attention was paid to it to make sure it did. It was carrying important cargo, after all.
Yauhmi looked out the window of the plane, musing to herself as the miles slipped by. Three years ago, on a similar trip, she had been the undisputed ruler of an immensely powerful and wealthy nation. Today, she was a deposed monarch of a different country that, though rebuilding fast, was neither wealthy or powerful. One that was under threat from the country she used to rule, no less. Life does love to throw curve balls at us, she thought without sadness.
She leaned back slightly in her chair, seeking a more comfortable position. The military plane, though maintained faultlessly and made as pleasant as possible, was hardly the same as the luxury she had once flown in when she was Empress. Despite the rather stiff chairs, Yauhmi made herself focus on the purpose of her trip. It was far more important than her comfort.
Yauhmi had to see if she could summon her old persuasiveness and charm to convince the world that the Xiomeran Empire, and the ruler who had replaced her, represented the greatest threats possible to world peace and stability. The world so far seemed to want nothing more than to bury its head in the sand concerning Calhualyana and her dreams of a "New Empire". Yauhmi had to wake her fellow leaders up to the seriousness of the threat.
While the negotiation of new diplomatic and economic agreements would be part of her trip as well, of course, the main goal was clear. Convince the rest of the world to take more concrete action to rein in Calhualyana, or depose her, if necessary. It was perhaps the most important task Yauhmi had ever undertaken. It was a deceptively simple goal. Fulfilling it would be anything but.
---
Unlike Yauhmi, the person seated next to her preferred the military plane to its luxurious Imperial rivals. It was much easier to secure than a civilian counterpart.
Tlalmaxxi had left her assignment to aid the counter-insurgency mission against "Western Xiomera" to come on the trip with Yauhmi. There had been little reason for her to remain on the mission, given the cease-fire declared by Vice-Speaker Tiacihitli. She had considered the cease-fire a grave mistake. She hadn't been the only one, either. The Milintican guerrillas who had been helping on the frontline, refusing to accept the cease-fire, had reportedly left their camp and crossed into insurgent territory en masse to continue fighting. The brave fools have probably all been killed or captured by now, Tlalmaxxi thought as she made herself focus as well on her own mission here. While Tlalmaxxi was partly there to help Yauhmi do her convincing, she was mostly there to protect the nantzintli. Imperial Intelligence probably saw the trip, which was taking Yauhmi far from her well-protected estate in the middle of Huenya, as a prime opportunity to remove her as a thorn in Calhualyana's side once and for all. It also could not be denied that not everyone loved Yauhmi, and the chance of her receiving a negative reception on her travels could not be ignored.
There was one other reason for her to accompany Yauhmi on the trip. Tlalmaxxi was to slowly begin assuming many of the duties Yauhmi was performing, beginning with this trip. While Yauhmi was still more capable than one might expect, being 74 years old was taking a toll. The torture and mistreatment she had suffered while imprisoned during the civil war had taken a greater toll, one unrevealed to most people. It was Yauhmi's typically pragmatic decision that it was time to begin training her replacement.
As the two of the worked through their thoughts, the plane sped towards its first destination.
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