04-11-2023, 09:01 PM
Denise Adams was in her naturally lit embassy office staring out the window into the Xiomeran capital. Her call with her superior, Foreign Secretary Kathryn Stewart, was brief but informative. The Xiomeras had detained 3 individuals, suspected to be from the group Warriors of Our Earth, for attacking the Novella Islands embassy. A 4th individual had managed to get themselves inside the embassy itself. Intelligence from the Sanctarian Intelligence Service suggested, Stewart had said, that the group didn't seem as organised as Warriors of Our Earth and were probably members of the non-violent sister group Watchdogs of Our Earth trying to piggyback off of the Warriors' infamy. Stewart's direction was simple - Lauchenoiria needed Sanctaria to act as their government and consular representative in lieu of their own.
Turning her back to the Xiomeran sky, Adams shuffled back to her desk waiting for the call her secretary placed a minute or so ago to be put through. Waiting for the Xiomeran Foreign Minister was a chore - the Xiomerans liked to keep people waiting, likely at an attempt at intimidation, but Adams didn't care. She could do other work while waiting. She had known tougher and stronger foes than the Xiomerans, having been stationed in all manner of places over her 30 years in the diplomatic - and intelligence - service. She did like their hold music though. Almost like a jingle for a soft drink.
Adams sat down and kicked her feet up on her desk, hitting her phone with her hand so it was on loudspeaker. The official position of the Sanctarian government, Adams had been told, is that Warriors of Our Earth is a terrorist organisation. The Lauchenoirian government too had labelled them as terrorists. But equally, the Lauchenoirians didn't want their citizens languishing in a Xiomeran cell, being tortured, regardless of they were Watchdogs or Warriors. It wouldn't be good for the Sanctarian image either if they too decided Lauchenoirians weren't worth their time. Sanctarians certainly wouldn't be left to die in Xiomera. That said, Sanctarians wouldn't be so stupid as to get themselves arrested doing civil disobedience in Xiomera of all countries. "Idiots", Adams said aloud, just as the phone clicked and she found herself speaking to the Xiomeran Minister for Foreign Affairs.
"Minister", she said cheerfully. "Look, I won't keep you. I know you're busy. You have 3 Lauchenoirians in custody. Morons from the WOE. Listen, we think they're probably Watchdogs not Warriors, but I know the distinction doesn't really matter to the Xiomeran government", she said trailing off just a little. "Anyway we've been asked by the Lauchenoirian government to act on their behalf given their lack of diplomatic representation here in your ... quite orderly country". She wanted to say dungheap, but diplomatic niceties trump all. "I'd like Sanctarian embassy officials to meet with the 3 and ascertain their well being and for our lawyers here to inform them of their rights, such as they are, in Xiomera." She paused to think on something, but not long enough to allow the Xiomeran Minister to get a word in edgeways. Adams always found if you didn't let the other side say much, they couldn't push much of their agenda, and you often got more of your side of the deal.
"Actually no. Let's do this differently", she said, straightening up in her chair. "We both know what you're going to do to them and frankly us poking our head in means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Who do you want?" There was silence on the other end, clearly this was not an expected question. "Who in Lauchenoiria do you want for a prisoner swap, we'll facilitate it. Lauchenoiria had enough time to sort out WOE, they didn't, and you're well in your rights to detain these people, but really detaining foreign nationals and, let's be blunt, torturing them isn't going to win you any favours, and when people find out Sanctaria knows about it, we'd be expected to do something then anyway. So why not cut the next 3 to 4 weeks of diplomatic bullcrap, and you tell me if there's anyone in Lauchenoiria you want released. And just for the 3 you have detained. Whatever happens to the individual currently being held in the Novellan embassy is their problem, PR-wise, not ours; you know how it goes." Or maybe not, given the state of the Xiomeran press. What a bubble these people live in. A scary, murderous bubble, but a bubble nonetheless.
Turning her back to the Xiomeran sky, Adams shuffled back to her desk waiting for the call her secretary placed a minute or so ago to be put through. Waiting for the Xiomeran Foreign Minister was a chore - the Xiomerans liked to keep people waiting, likely at an attempt at intimidation, but Adams didn't care. She could do other work while waiting. She had known tougher and stronger foes than the Xiomerans, having been stationed in all manner of places over her 30 years in the diplomatic - and intelligence - service. She did like their hold music though. Almost like a jingle for a soft drink.
Adams sat down and kicked her feet up on her desk, hitting her phone with her hand so it was on loudspeaker. The official position of the Sanctarian government, Adams had been told, is that Warriors of Our Earth is a terrorist organisation. The Lauchenoirian government too had labelled them as terrorists. But equally, the Lauchenoirians didn't want their citizens languishing in a Xiomeran cell, being tortured, regardless of they were Watchdogs or Warriors. It wouldn't be good for the Sanctarian image either if they too decided Lauchenoirians weren't worth their time. Sanctarians certainly wouldn't be left to die in Xiomera. That said, Sanctarians wouldn't be so stupid as to get themselves arrested doing civil disobedience in Xiomera of all countries. "Idiots", Adams said aloud, just as the phone clicked and she found herself speaking to the Xiomeran Minister for Foreign Affairs.
"Minister", she said cheerfully. "Look, I won't keep you. I know you're busy. You have 3 Lauchenoirians in custody. Morons from the WOE. Listen, we think they're probably Watchdogs not Warriors, but I know the distinction doesn't really matter to the Xiomeran government", she said trailing off just a little. "Anyway we've been asked by the Lauchenoirian government to act on their behalf given their lack of diplomatic representation here in your ... quite orderly country". She wanted to say dungheap, but diplomatic niceties trump all. "I'd like Sanctarian embassy officials to meet with the 3 and ascertain their well being and for our lawyers here to inform them of their rights, such as they are, in Xiomera." She paused to think on something, but not long enough to allow the Xiomeran Minister to get a word in edgeways. Adams always found if you didn't let the other side say much, they couldn't push much of their agenda, and you often got more of your side of the deal.
"Actually no. Let's do this differently", she said, straightening up in her chair. "We both know what you're going to do to them and frankly us poking our head in means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Who do you want?" There was silence on the other end, clearly this was not an expected question. "Who in Lauchenoiria do you want for a prisoner swap, we'll facilitate it. Lauchenoiria had enough time to sort out WOE, they didn't, and you're well in your rights to detain these people, but really detaining foreign nationals and, let's be blunt, torturing them isn't going to win you any favours, and when people find out Sanctaria knows about it, we'd be expected to do something then anyway. So why not cut the next 3 to 4 weeks of diplomatic bullcrap, and you tell me if there's anyone in Lauchenoiria you want released. And just for the 3 you have detained. Whatever happens to the individual currently being held in the Novellan embassy is their problem, PR-wise, not ours; you know how it goes." Or maybe not, given the state of the Xiomeran press. What a bubble these people live in. A scary, murderous bubble, but a bubble nonetheless.